Detour To Destiny
by Taurnlaide and Tarien
Summary: Two girls alone in a house for a month, and suddenly the Fellowship shows up. NOT as cliché as it sounds. Does stray from canon, but as little as possible. FBOC and LGOC. Mainly a romance, but there's angst and humor, too. Proudly slash-free! COMPLETE!
1. An Unexpected Party

DISCLAIMER: We do not own Lord of the Rings. If we did, this is how it really would have turned out. Please don't sue.  
  
Authoresses' Notes:  
  
SARAH: I JUST found out that FFN will not accept special cahracters and had to go and manually italicize things that were supposed to be thoughts. Sorry for the inconvenience.

This is the brainchild of my best friend Shelly. I literally got this in my email one day and she was all like, "Now you write chapter two!" ...long story short, I did...and sent it back...and now, seven months later, we've gotten up to 30 chapters. (And still not QUITE finished...but almost.) It's HER fault that it's going up before it's technically finished, but I think we'll live, because we've got it all planned out. Sort of.  
  
Shelly is the idea woman; I'm the technicalities woman. (IE, the proofreader, lol.) All the funny, crazy, laugh-out-loud stuff is pretty much hers with only one or two exceptions. All the stuff where things are explained in detail...yeah, that's probably me.  
  
Sorry the plot has been sooooo overdone, but we really have tried to make it different from the rest, and whether you like it or not, WE had fun. So HA! But if you enjoy it, PLEASE leave a kind review. KIND. Constructive criticism is welcome, but we've got it more or less written already so unless your ideas/suggestions are REALLY REALLY REALLY good, they probably won't be incorporated. Flames will be forwarded to Keira Knightley and Kate Bosworth with warm regards from Shelly. (Elijah is my man, Orli is hers...in case that doesn't become blatantly obvious from the fic itself...) At any rate, I hope you have at least HALF as much fun reading as we did writing. Enjoy!  
  
SHELLY: I don't normally write author's notes, because I'm not all that great at it. This is my first REAL fic, so please don't be too mean, but please review! Forgive the first few chapters since I'm a little new at this, I promise it gets better and better as it goes along. (Or so Sarah tells me.) Happy reading.  
  
Chapter One--An Unexpected Party  
  
Shelly POV  
  
"So your parents are really letting us do this," said my friend, Sarah. This was the third time she had called to make sure our plans had not gone haywire.  
"Yeah, they'll be gone for two whole weeks with Kim. My great-aunt isn't doing very well at all."  
"Aww, I'm sorry."  
"That's okay. I don't know her very well. What I can't believe is that your folks are letting you stay with me, especially since you're going to have to turn right around and leave for St. Louis as soon as you get back," I said.  
"Yeah, well, I'm moving up there soon and then I won't get to see you much any more, especially once we start college. This is going to be our last free summer."  
"Two whole weeks without parents and Orlando marathons every day," I said contentedly.  
"Yeah, well, I'm leaving now."  
"What's your cell number in case something happens?" Sarah told me and I quickly wrote it down.  
"See ya in an hour," I said.  
"See ya."  
Two weeks with one of my best friends, plus Allen had said he'd drop in. Life could not get much better. Don't get me wrong, I love my great- aunt, but if she hadn't gotten sick, my folks would never have left.  
I went to my room and put my Lord of the Rings: Return of the King soundtrack into my CD player. I immediately changed it to Pippin's song. Soon I heard his voice.  
  
Home is behind, the world ahead   
And there are many paths to tread  
  
I love that song because it relaxes me. After I listened to that song, I put The Two Towers extended edition into my DVD player and fast- forwarded to the Battle of Helm's Deep. It was really weird because just as the storm started on the movie, it started to storm at my house. Finally, just as it got to my favorite scene, the one where Legolas looks at Gimli with a smug look, "42," lightning lit up the sky, the lights went out and the screen went blank.  
"Aw, man. Now what will I do?" Then, the power came back on and out of nowhere the entire Fellowship minus Gandalf was in my living room.  
"Me, I'm sittin' pretty on 43," came out of the TV.  
Gimli went pale.  
"Crap." I shut the TV off just as Gimli passed out. The rest of the Fellowship pulled their weapons. _Oh, please let the Common Tongue be English._ "Um, who are ya'll?" _Please don't be who I think you are._  
"Give us your name first, milady," Legolas said.  
"Okay, Legolas, I'm Shelly."  
"How did you know my name?"  
"Nope, you're in my house, I get to ask the questions. Sit down." By this time Gimli was coming around, so I grabbed his axes before he could get up.  
"Now, lass, those be mine."  
"Yes, Master Dwarf, but I do not wish my home to be torn up by them." I quickly confiscated the rest of the Fellowship's weapons. I think they were a little afraid of me, but then, I'm sure they'd never seen a girl in pants. At least that was the only real difference between me and any girl from Middle-Earth, because I keep my hair long and I haven't dyed it green or anything. Natural dark brown hair, natural matching eyes. Still, I was as scared of them as they were of me. I was about to faint, but somehow I was able to remain standing instead of passing out on top of Legolas.  
"Now, Aragorn, Gimli, Legolas, and Boromir, sit on the couch. Hobbits sit over..." I trailed off when I realized the Hobbits were now as tall as I was. "Crap, how did you get as tall as me? Well, it doesn't matter. Sit right there. DO NOT TOUCH ANYTHING!" Poor guys, they looked so cute when they were scared, but then again, I was scared, too. I went into Dad's office and called Sarah's cell.  
"Sarah, where are you?"  
"About ten minutes away. Why?"  
"I'll explain once you get here, but Sarah, speed up a little. I need some help." I hung up the phone and went back to the Fellowship.  
"First of all, where's Gandalf?"  
"He fell in Moria," said Aragorn quietly, while the others looked like they were fighting back tears.  
"Have you reached Lórien yet?" I said, this time a little nicer than before.  
"No, milady, that's where I was leading them when we appeared here," Aragorn said. What, did the others never speak? Did I scare them that much?  
"I'm really sorry about Gandalf. I'll be right back. Please don't mess with anything." I ran out the front door onto the porch. It was almost like it hadn't rained at all. Sarah was finally pulling into the drive and I was beginning to feel a little more sane.  
I opened the door and Sarah's face greeted me. She reminds me of Josie from "Josie and the Pussycats," only with slightly longer hair and blue eyes. "What's the emergency, Shell?" she asked.  
"First, don't scream. Promise?"  
"Yeah, sure."  
"C'mon." I pulled her inside the house and threw her bag on the floor. She saw the Fellowship and her jaw hit the ground. I pulled her back outside before she could scream.  
"What...when...how did they get here?"  
"I don't know. I was watching The Two Towers and they appeared. I also know that Gandalf has just fallen in Moria and they haven't reached Lothlórien yet."  
"What are we gonna do with them?"  
"Well, we can't just throw them out in the street. Maybe I should call Katie...but then, she'll call Nicky, who'll tell Ty, and he'll post it on the internet."  
"Yeah. That definitely won't work. But we do need food and clothes for them. How did the Hobbits get so tall?"  
"I don't know. I was thinking maybe we could call Cody and Mike. After all, they are coming over to work anyway." Me, my parents, and my little sister Kim live on and care for the grounds of a youth camp. We host three weeks of summer camp in the middle of July and weekend youth retreats throughout the year. The rest of the time, the campgrounds are available to be rented by people for anything from seminars to family reunions. Cody and Micheal Taylor were two guys I had known most of my life. When we were all little we had been campers together, then as we got older they started working for the camp, helping maintain the grounds and buildings. They were actually cousins but Mike stayed with Cody's family a lot during the summer.  
Sarah nodded slowly. "Yeah, those two could work." She paused, considering that, and then amended herself. "If we make Cody swear not to open his mouth it could work."  
"Okay, I'll go call them. Then, we'll explain to the Fellowship what is going on. They may be a little afraid after the way I treated them. I'll have to apologize for that." I went in and called the guys. "Hey Mike. Yeah, it's Shelly. I need you and Cody to get over here ASAP. Thanks. Yeah, it's an emergency. Got to go. Bye." I hung up with Mike and went to the main room with Sarah. Here we go.  
"I'm sorry about earlier. You all just scared me. Let's introduce ourselves properly. I want to be able to get you straight. So you introduce yourselves. Then, we'll introduce ourselves and try to explain what's going on. Hobbits you go first."  
"I'm Frodo Baggins of the Shire."  
"I'm Samwise Gamgee, his gardener." Sarah and I were fighting to contain our giggles now.  
"I'm Meriadoc Brandybuck, call me Merry."  
"I'm Peregrin Took, call me Pippin." At that, I could no longer contain myself. I screamed and tried to lunge, but Sarah held me back.  
"Calm down, Shell."  
"Sorry, okay." _Breathe, just breathe,_ I kept telling myself. I took a deep breath. "Sorry about my outburst. Go ahead, the rest of you."  
"Lady Shelly already recognized me, but I am Legolas Greenleaf, Prince of Mirkwood." It was particularly hard to control ourselves at that. Sarah and I are obsessed with Orlando Bloom. My mom calls us Bloomin' Idiots.  
"You seem to know my name as well, but I am Aragorn, son of Arathorn."  
"You also spoke my name. However, I am Boromir of Gondor."  
"Gimli, son of Glóin, and that's all you witches will get out of me."  
"Witches! Listen, Gimli, Sarah and I are not witches. Okay, it's my turn," I said, controlling my temper. "I'm Shelly Brown."  
"I'm Sarah Ebort."  
"Now, this is the year 2004," I began.  
"But, my lady, surely we have not gone back in time," said Aragorn.  
"I'm getting to that, Aragorn. Our years are now counted differently than yours. Here your story is all in a book. Many people know it. It was even made into a movie."  
"What's a movie?" said Pippin.  
Sarah, always the one to give technical answers, took that one. "You've heard of how when an elf-minstrel performs, the song he's singing comes to life? It's kind of like that. You have a disc that you put in a machine and the story comes to life on a screen and you can watch it. The discs are made by using people called actors. Each one acts like a certain character and a person called a director captures their performances, which can then be copied onto the discs."  
"Now," I continued, "the actors who played you all are quite famous. In fact, you all look just like them. That's kind of disturbing. In our world there are only Men, no Elves, Dwarves, or Hobbits. Now, Gimli, stand up."  
When he did, he was just as tall as the others.  
"Okay, how did you five get so tall?" asked Sarah.  
"We do not know, Lady Sarah," said Frodo, finally.  
Just then, my dog Princess started barking. "It's the guys," I said. I pointed to the door of my room. "Go hide in there. Do not touch anything. Sarah, stay with them." I had barely gotten everyone into my room when the door opened and there stood Cody. As much as I hate to admit it, he is pretty cute. He's got brown eyes, nice muscles, and is rather tan from working outside. His brown hair is really curly--Sarah and I always tease him about having Hobbit hair. Mike is a taller, less muscular, and less hairy version of Cody. He has a much smaller frame and he keeps his lighter brown hair buzzcut-short, but they have the same eyes.  
"Come in," I said.  
"What's the emergency?" Cody asked, stumbling through the door.  
"Promise you won't say anything," I said.  
"Yeah, but what--" Mike was cut off by the ringing phone. I ran to the cordless and picked it up.  
"Hello? Hi, Mom. Yeah, Sarah got here just now."  
"Well, your aunt is worse than we thought, so we could be here for at least a month. Can you manage without us or do we need to fly you up here?" Mom said.  
"I'll be fine."  
"Call Grandma if you need anything. Honey, I've got to go. Your father is honking the horn at me. I'll talk to you later."  
"Bye, Mom." I hung up the phone and looked at the two guys. "Sit." For some reason, the guys actually listened. I don't know if they were nervous or what, but they listened. That never happens. "You can't say anything, but I am going to introduce you two to some people. Then, you're going to help me." The two guys once again nodded their heads. "Bring them in, Sarah." I prayed that this would work and that the guys would help us.  
  
A/N: And so it begins...the POV changes next chappie and will continue to go back and forth THROUGHOUT the fic. Pay attention, as they will be clearly labeled for your convenience.


	2. The Logistics

DISCLAIMER: We do not own Lord of the Rings. If we did Faramir would have had a pure heart in the movies, too. Please don't sue.  
  
Authoresses' Notes:  
  
SARAH: Now, see what I mean about me being the technicalities woman? Shelly gets to have all the funny "WHAT IS GOING ON HERE???" moments and leaves me to explain how to feed and clothe these poor guys. Be kind, this chappie IS kinda slow because everything has to be explained, but after this it starts to get funny. Really. I swear. Um...Be kind. Be very kind.  
  
Chapter Two--The Logistics  
  
Sarah POV  
  
As if my life wasn't confusing enough with planning college and moving to another state. There I was, standing the room of one of my best friends, surrounded by eight guys literally right out of a book. I was watching them like a hawk, particularly Merry, who happened to be seated closest to Shelly's computer. I pinched my arm a few times just to be sure. _This would make a nice dream, but the reality is kind of freaky!_  
I was leaning back against the door, listening to Shelly trying to prepare Cody and Mike for the surprise we were about to spring, but knowing that no amount of preparation was going to help.  
"Why are we hiding?" Pippin ventured.  
"Ssshh!" I hissed. "The guys are going to freak out when they see you all! Shelly's trying to make it easier."  
At last I heard Shelly call me. I opened the door, keeping my back to it, and held out my arm as a sign for the Fellowship to walk into the open living/dining room. Legolas walked out first, followed by Aragorn, Boromir, Gimli and the Hobbits. They all sat back down in the living room, and were talking among themselves. After they were all out of Shelly's room, I walked over and took a seat at the table across from the guys.  
Mike recognized them first, but it took him a moment to realize that this was not an elaborate practical joke. "What...how..." He stumbled over his words, unsure of what to say.  
Cody, who was, out of the four of us, the least familiar with things Tolkien-esque, suddenly recognized the people in front of him. "Hey, aren't you those people from--"  
Shelly cut him off before he could say "Lord of the Rings" to the Fellowship, who had probably never heard the term. "Yes. They are. Guys, this is Mike and Cody Taylor. They are friends of ours."  
Cody turned in his chair to look at her. "What's going on? Who did you hire to pull this trick?"  
I interrupted him. "No, Cody, they're not actors. They're the real deal. Not the real actors, not Elijah and Orli and Viggo and all, this is really Frodo and Legolas and Aragorn..."  
He just stared at me. "I don't believe it. Even I know that the Hobbits aren't really that tall."  
Shelly started in with a tone that said she was the boss. "Look, Cody, for one, I could not afford to pull off a practical joke like that. For two, I'm only telling you guys because I need your help. I don't know how it happened, or why they're here. All I know is that I was watching the DVD, the power went out, and when it came back on, these eight were standing in my living room. The Hobbits and Gimli were already human height. They don't know how or why they're here, either, or what's up with their height."  
Mike jumped in then. "Eight?"  
"Gandalf already fell," I informed him. "They just got out of Moria and they're not to Lothlórien yet."  
He nodded. "But how do we know it's not a trick?"  
"Look at them, you moron!" Shelly said. "Actors would not be this scared, and they wouldn't look this realistic, except maybe the ones actually from the movie, but you know that there's no way I could get those people out here."  
"True," Cody said. "But what do you need our help for? I would think that two girls in a house with eight guys and no parents would be easy to figure out."  
"Cody!" I snapped. "Be serious. Now think, we have to get food for them, and maybe clothes if they stay long--"  
Mike cut me off. "Well, considering that they don't know how they got here, I don't think that they know how to get back, so they're going to be here a while."  
"How are we going to pay for food and clothes?" Shelly asked.  
"We'll worry about that later," Cody said. "First, what do we DO with them?"  
"Well, I guess they'll just stay here at the house with me and Sarah," Shelly said. "I was thinking that we could put them in a cabin, but Mom and Dad would freak out if there was unexplained electricity on the bill..."  
Finally Mike eased the tension. "Like these guys would turn on the lights. Hello, Shelly, they don't know what electricity is!"  
I laughed at that, anyway. "But still, Mike, we can't let them out of our sight. At least not yet. Maybe after they get used to being here--if they're here that long..."  
At last Aragorn rose from the loveseat to address us as spokesman for the group. "Lady Shelly," he said, trying to get her attention.  
Shelly looked over at him. "Yes?"  
"We seem to be imposing upon you. While I do not know how we arrived here, if one of you could but direct us to Lórien, we could be on our way."  
"You don't understand," I said. "You guys are not in Middle-Earth any more. There is no such place as Lórien, or the Shire, or Mirkwood, or Mordor, or anything! You're in a place called Arkansas!"  
He seemed rather taken aback by that. "So we must stay here?"  
Mike nodded. "You're either in a completely different world, or you've come thousands of years into the future and things aren't the same. Either way, you have no idea what things are like here and now. If anyone else finds out that you're from Middle-Earth, you could be in danger from people who would, like, do experiments on you or something..."  
I nodded. "You need to stay here where we can protect you until you get used to this world, basically."  
Aragorn seemed to ponder that. "How do we know that you are not the ones exploiting us?"  
There was no easy answer, and there was a long pause.  
Finally Cody said it simply. "You'll just have to trust us."  
"Yeah, pretty much," I said, "However hard you try to trust us, we'll try just as hard to be worthy of it."  
"Yeah," Shelly said.  
Aragorn nodded. "All right. But if you should prove unworthy, we will take any means necessary to free ourselves."  
Suddenly images of Sting and Anduril and Gimli's axe and Legolas firing two arrows at once popped into my head, and I shivered. I looked for Anduril and realized Aragorn had no sword on. "Where's your sword?" I asked.  
"Lady Shelly took our weapons," Aragorn admitted.  
"You'll get them back," she said, "Just not now, okay?"  
He raised an eyebrow but went back to join the rest of the Fellowship.  
"Man!" Cody said. "This is getting weird."  
"Getting?" Mike asked. "I think we've officially reached Completely Weird."  
"Where are they all going to sleep?" I asked Shelly.  
"Well, two can go in my parents' room, and four can go in Kimmie's room, and the couch pulls out into a bed, so two can sleep in the living room. That leaves my room for Sarah and me. I still want to know how we're supposed to pay for all of this. Food, clothes, water for showers and laundry..."  
"I've been thinking about that ever since you brought it up earlier, Shelly. Don't worry about it. I'll take it out of my scholarship money."  
"Can you do that?" Mike asked. "I mean, isn't that money just for school?"  
I tried to explain before anyone could protest. "Well, whatever is left over after tuition and books and costs like housing and transportation is yours to just spend. Out of all the money I got, tuition and books are all ready and waiting for me at the end of the summer, we set aside more than enough money for rent, and for gas and repairs on my van. There's still a few thousand dollars left, and I'm supposed to be saving it and letting it draw interest and all, but I can tell Mom and Dad that I decided to use some of it to help give housing and food to the poor...which is not exactly a lie."  
"How did you get that much scholarship money?" Cody asked.  
"I applied for lots and lots and lots of little scholarships. $200 here, $500 there...it adds up pretty quickly. It's not a big deal, there'll be more next year."  
"Thanks," Shelly said. "Okay. So that's taken care of. Now--"  
Mike interrupted. "Now I have a question." He leaned forward, so the rest of us all leaned in closer, too. He spoke in a hushed tone, not wanting the Fellowship to hear. "What about the Ring?" Of course. Mike was smart that way. I'd completely forgotten about that.  
We all looked at each other. That could get complicated.  
"Do you suppose it even has any power here?" I asked.  
"I don't want to find out," Shelly said. "I vote we lock it up somewhere and hide the key where Boromir will never find it." She and I had spent many hours discussing all things Lord of the Rings, and she always had disliked Boromir. Unfortunately, even though Frodo was no longer half Boromir's size, it was a legitimate concern.  
Cody looked around. "How about the cabinet by the fireplace in the main building?" There was a sturdy wooden cabinet with a lock on it in the main camp building, which housed the dining hall, the kitchen, staff quarters, and a chapel.  
"We would have to hide the key," Mike said, agreeing with Shelly. "Otherwise Boromir would just go after whoever had the key."  
Shelly nodded. "We'll take Frodo up there, and we'll let him put it in there and lock it, but he can't see where we hide the key, either, or he may go back and get the Ring."  
"Where will we hide the key?" I asked.  
"In the kitchen," Cody said. "No one would ever find it there."  
"Or we could put it in the glove box of your car," Mike said. "They won't even know what a glove box is, much less that you could put something in it. Plus if Cody keeps his car locked, he'll be the only one able to get to it."  
I nodded. "Makes sense." I looked toward Shelly. "It's your call," I said. "Should we take Frodo up there now?"  
She nodded. "Frodo, come here, please."  
Frodo got up and came over to us. "Yes?" He didn't seem to trust us.  
Mike started out. "Look, we know what you're carrying, and we think it would be best if it were put in a safe place until you can go back to your quest to destroy it."  
Frodo's eyes widened.  
"We've got the perfect place to keep it secret and safe," Shelly said. "So, how about me and Cody take you to it, and Mike and Sarah stay here with everyone else? We'll come right back here."  
Frodo glanced toward the group. "It will be safe?"  
We looked at each other. Shelly tried to reassure him. "No one but the five of us will know where it is and only one of us will be able to get the key."  
"And we'll return it to you as soon as we figure out how to send you back where you came from," I said.  
He hesitated, understandably, but finally nodded. "All right. Let's hurry."  
Shelly and Cody got up, went outside, and walked off toward the main building. Aragorn started after them but Mike caught him by the arm.  
"They'll be right back." He explained their errand in hushed tones and Aragorn seemed to approve.  
When Mike sat back down he didn't speak. I think he had the same thoughts running through his head that I was having. I was finally left in peace for a moment to recover from my shock. From the moment I had walked in the door I had been bombarded with surprises, and only now did I get to clear my head. We'd thought about everything logically, and everything was taken care of. Now we just had to get used to the idea of having the Fellowship of the Ring hanging around.  
It was a lot to take in, but somehow I couldn't get my mind off the fact that now we would see how the real people compared to the characters from the books and movies. I had been in love with the character of Frodo ever since I had first read the books, and I couldn't help but wonder if the real live Frodo would hold up to my expectations.  
  
A/N: So there you have it. Chapter two. Hopefully you're in a little suspense, but not so much that it'll kill you, because it'll be at LEAST a week before chappie three goes up. Now go down, highlight "submit review", and click go! You should know what to do. Thanks for reading thus far, we hope you stick around! 


	3. Settling In

DISCLAIMER: We do not own Lord of the Rings. If we did we would be extremely rich people.  
  
Authoress's Notes:  
  
SHELLY: Hey, hope you enjoy this chapter. Don't forget to review. Sarah should update sometime this week.  
  
SARAH: Fixed one or two tiny formatting things for the perfectionist in me. The text has not changed.  
  
Chapter Three--Settling In  
  
Shelly POV  
  
"All right, let's hurry."  
Cody and I headed towards his gorgeous green convertible. Then, I stopped him. "Wait, we can't put him in a car! He'll be scared to death."  
"Would you rather walk?" Cody asked, with a sarcastic tone in his voice. It wasn't an unwalkably long distance, but it was far enough to prefer driving. He got into the driver's seat and slid on his silver sunglasses, waiting for me to answer.  
"Good point. Frodo, come here. This is called a car. It's kind of like a really fast horse. Just sit right here." I helped Frodo into the front seat. "Now stay sitting, no matter what. Cody's going to start the car."  
The engine roared to life and Frodo jumped. "It's all right, Frodo, that's just the engine. It's what makes the car go. Hit it, Cody." We pulled out of my driveway.  
"How old are you, Mr. Frodo?" Cody asked.  
"Thirty-four."  
"But in the book, you were 50 before the quest started," I pointed out.  
"Maybe Tolkien messed up the ages," Cody said.  
Suddenly something occurred to me and I slid across the back seat to whisper something to Cody privately. "Cody, what if Frodo doesn't want to hide the Ring? If he knows where it is, he'll come back for it."  
"You're right. I saw the last movie. We can't let him see where we put it," Cody said. He sounded a little scared.  
"Let me talk to him. I think, for right now, the Ring's effect is very small." I moved back to the middle and leaned forward. "Mr. Frodo, I don't think you should know where we are going to put the Ring. After all, what if you decide you want it back? That would put the Ring in danger of being taken."  
Frodo thought about what I said. Finally, he said, "Lady Shelly, I think you're right." Once we reached the building, he slowly took the Ring out of his pocket and handed it to me. I could not believe I held the One Ring and all I wanted to do was get rid of it. Frodo waited outside in the convertible while Cody and I locked it up.  
On the way back, Cody asked, "So, you like the car?"  
Frodo nodded. "It seems very convenient. I like it."  
Cody smiled. "You'll do okay here, Mr. Frodo."  
"You two should call me Frodo. You don't have to call me mister."  
"Only if you promise to just call me Shelly," I told him.  
"Very well. What will we do once we arrive back at the house, Lord Cody?" Frodo said innocently. I immediately burst out laughing.  
Frodo looked at me. "What, did I say something wrong?"  
"No, but I'm not a lord. Just call me Cody."  
Once we got back, Cody and Mike left to go and get some clothes for the Hobbits, Legolas, Aragorn, and Boromir. I was going to use my dad's stuff for Gimli. Cody told me later that he put the key to the cabinet in his glove box while they were driving back to his house.  
"Would you all like something to eat or drink? I mean, you need to keep up your strength," I asked the Fellowship.  
"Actually, milady, we are quite hungry," said the group spokesman, Aragorn.  
"Everyone, please, call me Shelly or Shell. I really don't like being called milady and all that. Now, Sarah, you and Sam are in charge of feeding the Fellowship. Gimli, come with me." Sarah led Sam into the kitchen where he immediately began to marvel at the technology.  
"Here, Gimli, these should work. Go in there and try them on." After a few unsuccessful tries, Gimli ended up with a pair of jeans and an Arkansas Razorback t-shirt. He looked almost normal, except for all the hair. When we went back in the living room, the others stared.  
"Gimli, what did she do to you?" Pippin asked, with his mouth gaping.  
"Oh, Pip, I only put him in some normal clothes, in case Allen shows up." Allen is like my big brother. We've known each other since we were little kids. He told Mom and Dad he'd check up on me while they were gone.  
"Lass, these clothes are quite comfortable. Thank you," Gimli said. Legolas nudged him and he continued. "I'm sorry for calling you and Sarah witches. You are clearly kind women."  
"Thanks, Gimli." Then, I muttered, "And Legolas." Legolas responded by grinning, which made me laugh.  
"What's so funny, elf?" Gimli asked.  
Just then, Sarah and Sam came in with some vegetable stew for the Fellowship. "I thought we should start them off slow. We wouldn't want a group of sick Hobbits on our hands," Sarah explained to me. "Luckily I found some cans of stew. There's no way I could have cooked anything quickly enough."  
After the food was devoured, I noticed Legolas looking outside. By now, the others had warmed up to Sarah and they were all talking about something, but Legolas seemed distracted. "Legolas, would you like to go outside?" I asked, walking over to him.  
"Yes, Shelly. I hate being forced indoors. It seems wrong," he said.  
I led him out onto the front porch. _He's an Elf, right? He'll be able to find his way back._ "Make yourself at home. Just try to be back in an hour, before the guys get back. Okay?"  
"Thank you, Shelly. I appreciate it." He smiled at me.  
I thought I would die. Here I was on my front porch with the Prince of Mirkwood smiling at me in gratitude. I grinned back.  
"You're welcome, Legolas," I said as he walked off toward the woods that surround the campground. I turned to go back inside and I almost bumped into Frodo. "Hey, Frodo, what are you doing?"  
"I was looking for you," he said, seemingly caught off guard.  
"Oh, well, I guess you found me." I said, smiling at him.  
"Yes, I guess I did." He hesitated, searching for polite conversation. "It really is beautiful here."  
"I think so," I said, sitting down on the porch swing. The view from there is amazing. Right then, the sun was sinking behind a mountain. Frodo sat down next to me. After a few minutes of silence, Frodo pretended to stretch and put his arm on the back of the swing, "accidentally" over my shoulders. I looked at him and he was blushing. I laughed, but I didn't move his arm. In fact, I put my head on his shoulder and snuggled up against him. We stayed that way until Cody and Mike drove back up.  
  
A/N: There ya have it. Please review, but remember flames burn Boromir's hair. 


	4. Of Kitchen Duty and Modern Makeovers

DISCLAIMER: We do not own Lord of the Rings. If we did, there would have been six movies, not three, so nothing would have to be cut.  
  
Authoress's Notes:  
  
SARAH: I KNOW I said this would be up a lot sooner! I'm sorry! But I have a legitimate excuse--my sister gave birth to twin boys! As much as I pushed for naming them Elladan and Elrohir, their names are Levi Grant and Kaleb Rane, and they're extremely adorable and doing great.  
  
Like any of you care about that, lol. Here's your chappie.  
  
Chapter Four--Of Kitchen Duty and Modern Makeovers  
  
Sarah POV  
  
It wasn't even ten minutes before Shelly, Cody, and Frodo returned. We quickly decided that modern clothes had to be gotten for all the Fellowship as quickly as possible. It would be bad enough to have eight unexplained guys hanging around the house, it would be even worse for them to be found in their original clothes. Cody and Mike agreed go home and bring back some of their clothes for the Fellowship to wear until they were adjusted enough to make a trip to Wal-Mart. The only odd one out was Gimli, who would never fit in any of their stuff, but Shelly said she'd find something in her dad's closet that would work.  
As soon as the guys left, Shelly offered the Fellowship some food. I realized how long it had probably been since they'd eaten. Again, we split up tasks--most of the Fellowship was left to do as they wished, Shelly took Gimli to raid her dad's closet, and Sam and I were assigned kitchen duty.  
"Okay," I said to Sam. "Let me explain a few things. This is the refrigerator," I said, opening the door and displaying its contents. "Stick your hand in there."  
Sam did so. "It's cold," he said, looking up at me incredulously.  
"That's the idea. You put stuff in there and it keeps it cold. Now, over here is the stove, it does the opposite, sort of. It's like fire on demand. You turn the knobs and these things warm up quickly," I said, indicating the burners. "You turn them back and they shut off and slowly cool down. Don't ever touch them directly."  
He nodded. "It's like fire," he repeated.  
"Right. Now, this is the sink." I didn't explain so much as demonstrate that one. "Water on, water off, water cold, water hot. Plug or drain. Pretty simple."  
He continued experimenting with that while I opened up the pantry and poked around, looking for something that would be quick and simple, make enough to feed eight people, and not kill them. I didn't think, for example, that they were ready to attempt pizza or potato chips or even ramen noodles. Luckily there were several cans of vegetable stew.  
"Hey, Sam, check the cabinets under the stove, see if you can find me a pot about yea big," I said, holding up my hands.  
"I have one in my pack," he offered.  
"If we were cooking over fire, that'd be great. I don't know how well it'd hold up on the stove. Just look, okay?"  
I turned on one of the back burners, located a manual can opener, and pulled out the cans of stew. By that time Sam had found the pot I needed, so I put it on the stove, showed him how to work the can opener, and set him on pouring the cans into the pot. I thought that the task was probably too simple, but then, with the advances made compared to where he was coming from, it was like working with a small child--not in the sense that he was stupid, far from it, but in the sense that he was, essentially, a clean slate.  
By the time he finished that and I got him to understand the concept of a trashcan, I had set out bowls and spoons, and the stew was warming up nicely.  
About this time, Shelly came back out with Gimli, dressed in modern clothes. I got a glimpse of him from the kitchen--Shelly's house is very open, the living room and dining room aren't really separate and the kitchen is separated from those rooms only by the upper and lower cabinets. It was a funny sight at first, but the more I looked at him the more normal he seemed. Gimli seemed to get used to the outfit rather quickly. Legolas must have pointed out that it was rather nice for Shelly to give him such nice clothes, because he apologized for calling us witches.  
I checked on the stew, and by that time it was giving off steam, so Sam and I both dished it up and brought it to the rest of the Fellowship. I was glad to see they enjoyed it. I'd been thinking that even something as simple as stew could be ruined for them with all the preservatives we use to process our food these days.  
The Fellowship was scattered around the living room, and I took a seat next to Sam on the arm of the loveseat with my own bowl of stew.  
"Delicious," Pippin declared. "But it would have been better with mushrooms."  
"Sorry," I said, shrugging. "Maybe we can get some when we go grocery shopping."  
"It came out of a...what did you call it, Sarah?" Sam asked. By then Shelly had gotten everyone to drop the formal titles and we were all going on first-name basis.  
"A can," I said. "Metal container. Airtight. Keeps it from spoiling."  
"Amazing, all the things they have in there," Sam said. "Keep stuff cold, heat it up, all at the drop of a hat. And they never have to draw water, or heat it over fire. They can make it come right into the house, hot or cold."  
"That would be handy," Merry agreed. "Helps explain how you made this so fast."  
I shrugged. "Sam helped," I pointed out.  
"What other things have been invented?" Frodo asked.  
I tried to think. "There's so many things, I'm not sure where to start, computers, cars, even just light bulbs..." Each one of those warranted an explanation, which I tried to give in terms simple enough for them to follow along. Legolas, however, seemed rather distracted with the outdoors, but Shelly struck up a conversation with him and his mood seemed to change almost instantly. They went outside a moment later.  
I kept talking about technology with the Fellowship, answering questions, trying not to laugh at some points. I'm not sure they really understood, but they were at least interested and no one had gotten frustrated enough to call me a witch (again) and try to tear up Shelly's house or anything. As the last of the second helpings slowly disappeared, the group kind of broke up a little, Frodo going outside with Shelly, the other Hobbits talking to me, and Boromir, Aragorn, and Gimli starting their own conversation.  
At last I stood up. "Any volunteers to help with dishes?" I asked. "Trust me, it'll be a lot easier than the way you do them."  
"You don't mean there's a machine for that as well, do you?" Sam asked.  
"Yes, actually, there is."  
Sam came back to the kitchen with me and we quickly rinsed the dishes, loaded them into the washer, started it and came back in the living room.  
I glanced out the window onto the porch as we walked through the dining room. The sun had almost completely set and it was getting pretty dark. Legolas was nowhere to be seen, so Shelly had probably told him he could take a walk. _Elves are pretty good trackers, right?_ He couldn't get lost or anything. _And he's probably figured out no one should see him._ Then I looked over at the porch swing.  
Frodo and Shelly were sitting out there, no surprise, but he had his arm over the back of the seat--over the back of her! _It's cold,_ I reasoned. _It's the gentlemanly thing for him to do. He probably doesn't think of what he's doing as romantic or anything. She probably doesn't, either. I mean, it's nice and all, and I'd take advantage of that opportunity too, but..._ I stopped my thoughts there. Of course I'd take advantage of that opportunity, but I wouldn't read anything romantic into it. Shelly was fairly sane, most of the time anyway, so she was probably just taking the time to get to know him, helping him get over the shock of being somewhere strange. If she got alone with Legolas for any length of time, then I might have cause to worry, but this was just Frodo. Right?  
I wondered what might be happening if it was me instead of her. I did envy her those moments out there with him right then, I can't deny that. I imagined sitting down on the swing, him sitting next to me, placing his arm on my shoulders...I shivered. It really wasn't fair. Sure, she liked Frodo well enough, but obviously not as much as she liked Legolas, and I was the one who was practically in love with Frodo already.  
I knew that it wasn't very likely that he'd notice, though. The few experiences I'd had with guys had all ended on sour notes, so now I kept my guard up. I tried very hard to never read anything into things guys said to me, tried to keep from liking them because they never liked me back, and if I happened to start liking one anyway I kept my mouth shut. I had guy friends like Cody and Mike but I wasn't trying to turn any of them into my boyfriend. At that point, I was just waiting for a guy to approach me instead of trying to do it the other way around, and I figured I'd go from there if that ever actually happened. So the possibility of Frodo noticing me as anything other than a friend and benefactor was quickly approaching zero.  
"Sarah?" Merry asked, leaning over the back of the loveseat.  
I snapped back into the real world--if being surrounded by six members of the Fellowship still counts as such--and turned to look at him. "Sorry. I saw the sunset and got sidetracked. Pretty, isn't it?" By then the sun was almost gone, the only hint of it being a light tint on the underside of the clouds, and the first stars were appearing.  
I came back and sat down, chatting with the Hobbits about their homeland until Cody and Mike returned. They came in the house, each carrying a laundry basket full of clothes, with Legolas, Frodo and Shelly following. Apparently they had found Legolas beside the driveway and he'd ridden up with them.  
"They ARE clean, aren't they?" Shelly asked, eyeing the baskets.  
"Yeah, they were just easier to carry this way," Mike said. They set the baskets on the table and Shelly and I immediately started passing out clothes, sending the Fellowship into the bedrooms to change. Cody and Mike had to go in and help with some of the trickier things like zippers, buttons, and how to tell which side was the front, but finally the Fellowship had reassembled in the living room, all dressed in modern clothing, and their normal clothes were in the laundry baskets. We would wash them and hide them later.  
Aragorn was in a pair of blue jeans and one of Cody's orange t- shirts. Boromir had khaki pants and a white tank with a blue button-front denim shirt over it. Legolas had on white jeans and a thin black sweater that fit him very well. VERY well. Pippin was wearing light blue jeans and a shirt almost the same color with the "Reebok" across the chest. Merry's baggy jeans had probably been black once but had faded, and he had a green flannel button-front shirt. Sam was dressed in clothes that made me think of his regular clothes more than anyone else's, plain blue jeans with his gray button-front shirt tucked in. Then, last but not least, Frodo had khaki pants and a thin sky-blue sweater.  
"That'll do," I said. "That'll do nicely, for clothes anyway. Legolas, Gimli--you need to let me do something with your hair. I promise I won't cut it at all, but it needs to be fixed differently."  
"No kidding!" Cody said.  
"Be nice," I told him. "Don't be yourself. Shell, you have an extra brush anywhere?"  
"In the bottom drawer in the bathroom."  
I went to go get it, then got some black hair bands out of my own stuff in Shelly's room. "Come in here," I said from the doorway, and they both entered the relative privacy of her bedroom. I had Gimli sit down first. I brushed out his hair as quickly as I could and pulled it back the way he'd had it at the end of the Fellowship movie--in a ponytail with bands spaced about four inches apart all the way down so that it stayed in a nice, neat column. Throughout the process Legolas had been joking with him, but then Gimli got up and Legolas sat. I told Gimli, "The only other thing is undo all the braids in your beard. No one does that. Just wear it loose."  
He nodded, but started teasing Legolas. "So now the elf-prince has a mortal girl to arrange his hair for him?"  
Legolas just glared at him.  
I really didn't want to mess with his hair, and for a moment I tried to convince myself that it would be okay, but I knew better than to think guys went around with their hair up in complicated braids all the time, and I knew that the Fellowship absolutely had to remain a secret. Reluctantly I unbraided his hair (and envied his ability to herringbone-braid it himself, I must admit) and pulled it into a low ponytail at the base of his neck. Legolas's hair was a lot easier to manage than Gimli's, and I found myself with my hands brushing against his neck more than was actually necessary.  
"Okay. You're good," I told him. We all got up and went back to the living room. Gimli didn't look that different, but Legolas got a couple of strange looks. Nobody said anything, though, so he must have looked normal enough.  
"Okay," Shelly said, "I think we're all here now. Sarah--me, Mike, and Cody were just discussing whether or not we should all watch the first part of the Fellowship movie."  
I blinked. "Um, well...the first part, stuff that's already happened to them, maybe. We can't let them see any more or it might screw up their destiny, their future, which may very well be our past..."  
"That's what I said," Mike interrupted. "But if they watch it they'll know that we know what's going on."  
Cody nodded.  
"So then, you think it's a good idea?" Shelly asked me.  
"Sure," I shrugged. "Go get your DVD." This was going to be very interesting.  
  
A/N: Reviews will make our day, flames will simply be put into the fireplace in front of which Shelly and I will be snuggling with Legolas and Frodo. Oh! We'll also use them to make hot chocolate, definitely. 


	5. The Fellowship of the Movie Watchers

DISCLAIMER: We do not own Lord of the Rings. If we did, Legolas would have had an excuse to take his shirt off at some point.  
  
Authoress's Notes:  
  
SHELLY: I hope you're enjoying this story, cause I've enjoyed writing it. Please review, but remember flames will simply be used to heat Will's forge.   
  
Chapter Five--The Fellowship of the Movie-Watchers  
  
Shelly POV  
  
I couldn't help but feel a little disappointed when Cody and Mike drove up. I just felt so comfortable with Frodo. He was so sweet. Then, I saw that Legolas was in the car with them, and for some reason I quickly hopped off the porch to help Cody and Mike. I don't know why I did it. It's not like Legolas cared or anything.  
  
Sarah and I immediately started going through the clothes. By the time we had finished picking the clothes, Cody and Mike had already gotten a few of them dressed. I swear, when Legolas came out with that black shirt on, I thought I was going to pass out. Then, Frodo came out with that gorgeous blue shirt that completely matched his eyes. I hoped Sarah did not realize how good I thought Frodo looked. If she did, she'd probably kill me.  
  
When Sarah took Legolas and Gimli to fix their hair and the rest of the Fellowship was admiring their new look, Mike pulled Cody and me aside.  
  
"Do you think they could watch the Fellowship movie? So they understand that we know what they're going through."  
  
"I don't know. They couldn't watch all of it because some of it hasn't happened yet. We'll ask Sarah. Then, we better ask them. Remember, they only lost Gandalf a few hours ago," I pointed out.  
  
Mike nodded. "Yeah. I meant up until Gandalf dies, 'cause if they see anything they don't know about it could change everything."  
  
"We might stop it a little before that," Cody pointed out. "It might hurt them, especially if their Gandalf looks like the one in the movie."  
  
Just then, Sarah came back into the room. Legolas looked GOOD. Gimli still looked a little out of place, but much better than before. I told Sarah what we'd been talking about and she agreed with Mike, it would help prove that we knew what was going on, but they couldn't see their future.  
  
I was watching Legolas and Frodo talk about something. I was wondering what effect this would have on Frodo's already troubled mind. Sarah told me to get the DVD.  
  
"First, I want to talk to them about what they're going to see," I told the other three quietly, "and if they don't want to watch it, they don't have to." I walked out from the dining area into the center of the living room.  
  
"Guys," I said, getting the Fellowship's attention. "We were just talking and we wondered if you all would like to watch the movie about you, the one we mentioned when you first arrived. But I have to warn you, Gandalf will be in it." I looked into each of their eyes and saw sadness when I said Gandalf's name. I really wanted to tell them that he'd be fine and not to worry, but I couldn't.  
  
"Mil--I mean Shelly," began Aragorn. He still could not get used to not calling Sarah and me milady. "I think we should watch it. However, we must let the Ringbearer decide."  
  
"Frodo, what do you think?" Sarah asked softly. I could see that she was worried about him, too.  
  
"I would like to watch it, but anyone that does not wish to should not have to. The choice should be for the individual."  
  
I looked around the room and saw the others nod their heads yes. "Okay." I placed the disc into the DVD player and handed Mike the remote. Then I went and sat down between Frodo and Legolas. Somehow, I thought this would be harder for them than they thought it would be. I noticed Sarah sit on the other side of Frodo. Cody turned off the lights, Mike hit play, and Lady Galadriel's voice began.  
  
The entire Fellowship sat forward. Only Legolas and Aragorn knew the voice of Lady Galadriel, and told everyone who was speaking. During the prologue, they mostly just sat there and listened. They seemed surprised by the title, "Lord of the Rings," but we shrugged it off.  
  
"No one said it was titled after the main character," Sarah pointed out. "But get used to it, because that's what we call your story."  
  
When Bilbo came onscreen, I squeezed Frodo's hand. He looked up at me and smiled sadly. As if being separated from Bilbo by many miles wasn't bad enough, now Frodo was in what may as well have been a completely different universe.  
  
When Elijah Wood came onscreen, Frodo gasped. "Astonishing!"  
  
Sarah cracked up. "Imagine what it was like for us to look at you after having seen that."  
  
Everyone's eyes went misty when Frodo ran to Gandalf onscreen. "Looks just like 'im," Merry whispered.  
  
When Frodo and Gandalf hugged, Pippin asked, "Are the actors of we Hobbits really that short?"  
  
Sarah shook her head. "They use a lot of tricks to make it look like they are, but they aren't in real life. I'll explain it to you later."  
  
They all looked like their corresponding actors, and as the other Hobbits appeared the real Fellowship started teasing each other about it. During the party scene, the real Sam blushed when the movie Sam was pushed out to dance with Rosie. In fact, any time Rosie was on the screen he'd blush. It was adorable, and it was obvious that he truly cared about the real Rosie. Merry and Pippin laughed when Gandalf caught them after the firework had gone off. I noticed Legolas seemed to find that funny as well. I was looking around and watching each one's face at certain moments. I realized that Cody, Sarah, and Mike were all doing the same thing. We wanted to know what they thought of our version of what happened to them.   
  
Then, I heard the drinking song begin and turned my attention to the movie. All of the sudden, the real Merry and Pippin jumped up and began to sing along with the movie. Sarah and I looked at each other and started to laugh. It was too funny when Pippin belted out his last line, "A mug of beer inside this Took!"  
  
When the Hobbits reached Bree, Frodo turned to me. "Why did they leave out Tom Bombadil? He was very interesting, and we never would have gotten out of the forest and the Barrow-Downs without him."  
  
"Yes, but he didn't really fit in right there. The movie doesn't say it didn't happen, it just didn't show it," I said.  
  
"Yeah," Sarah said. "But remember, it didn't even show you going through the Barrow-Downs. I was kind of disappointed by that, too, because he's in the book, but here's the thing. This movie is just one-third of what happens to you, and it's almost four hours long. If he had been in there it would be at least another twenty minutes. It's a really long time to sit and watch. There are two more movies after this before you--" she stopped herself short. "Before you get to the end of the story." She'd almost said "before you destroy the Ring," but she'd caught herself in the nick of time.   
  
Once the movie reached the scene where the Hobbits try to fight Strider, I looked at Aragorn. He seemed like he was about to laugh. Later, when the movie Pippin got hit with the apple, Legolas laughed out loud. I'd never heard him laugh before. It was really a great sound. "Estel, did that really happen?"  
  
"Yes, my friend, it did," Aragorn told him. Everyone, even Boromir, laughed at that. When the movie reached Weathertop, Sarah grabbed Frodo's hand. He gratefully smiled at her. After that scene, Frodo was quite curious. He had been out of it until he reached Rivendell, so he did not really remember that much.  
  
When Arwen came in, Aragorn's jaw dropped.  
  
"Lord Elrond would never allow that," Legolas stated. He and the others seemed as shocked as Aragorn that Arwen was there. "Where is Glorfindel?"  
  
"In the books," Sarah said. "For the movie, people have to be able to see the relationship between you and Arwen in order to understand the two of you," Sarah said. "Since they don't know what happened between you two years and years before--unless they read the books--they have to see you together onscreen. The movie is different from the books, the books have a lot more stuff that would have made the movie too long."  
  
"That and the director is stupid," Mike said. He's a purist, and anytime the movie and book diverged, he would get mad at Peter Jackson.  
  
"Shut up, Mike," I said. We often argued over that.  
  
When the Council of Elrond scene came up, they all seemed surprised by how quickly it went.  
  
"It took much longer than that, Shelly," Legolas said.  
  
"Yeah, but now not many people would want to sit there and listen to all the talking that happened," I explained. "Each of these three movies is way longer than most movies are, and it still took three to tell all your story." Then, when the Fellowship was formed, and the screen said to change to disc two, Mike turned it off and I got up and turned the lights back on. "That's as far as you need to see. Cody, Mike, Sarah, and I know that after this you try to go over Caradhras and end up having to go through Moria, and about Gandalf, and all the rest of the story, but we cannot show it to you. It could alter what happens." They seemed to understand that.  
  
"So you know whether we live or die," Boromir said, rather surprised. "You know if the Quest will kill us."  
  
It was rather ironic that he was the one to say that. I nodded. "Yes, Boromir, but we cannot tell you anything. Now," I said, wanting to change the subject, "who's hungry?" The Hobbits immediately said they were, big surprise. I can't cook, so I sent Sarah and Sam back to the kitchen.   
  
"Well, I guess we better be going," said Cody. It was getting close to ten and his mom would be wondering why they had been here so long.  
  
"I'll walk y'all out," I said, getting up.  
  
"Bye, guys," Sarah said, from the kitchen.  
  
"Good night, gentlemen," Aragorn said. That was probably the least formal title he was comfortable using.  
  
"Bye," they said, walking out the door. Once outside, I gave both Mike and Cody a hug.  
  
"Thank you so much. I don't know what I would've done without you two."  
  
"Probably went insane," Mike said, laughing. He went out to the car.  
  
"Be careful, Shelly. They may be honorable, but they are still guys," Cody said as he gave me another hug.  
  
"Don't worry. These are nice guys. Besides, Sarah and I can take care of ourselves. See ya tomorrow."  
  
"Yeah, I guess you're right," said Cody. "Well, 'night Shell." Then, he got in the car and pulled away. I turned around and headed back into the house for the most interesting night of my life.  
  
A/N: Review and we'll give Legolas and Frodo a cookie. 


	6. Lucky Us Until Five O'Clock

DISCLAIMER: We do not own Lord of the Rings. If we did, there would be a lot more Frodo posters out on the market.  
  
Authoress's Notes:  
  
SARAH: Obviously this is an LotR fic, but I gave tribute to another of my favorite movies in here. Anyone who can spot the reference and name the movie gets mentioned in my next chappie's author notes. (Ie, chapter eight.)

For anyone who's enjoyed the fic thus far, you might be interested to know: we've set up a Yahoo Group. Why? Because I just so happen to have a smidgen of talent in the drawing area and I've got some illustrations I thought I'd share. As soon as this chapter's up I am going to put the info into our author profile.  
  
Chapter Six--Lucky Us...Until Five O'Clock  
  
Sarah POV  
  
Watching the movie this time had been more fun than watching it normally, since the real Fellowship was there, too. I wished that they had been transported here after the whole thing was over so we could have watched more. I wondered how realistic Gollum would look to people who had--were going to--whatever--actually seen him. I wondered if Legolas really surfed down the stairs on an Uruk-Hai shield at Helm's Deep. I wondered how real Treebeard would look to them, and if he really sounded that much like Gimli. I wondered a million things.  
  
I had taken Frodo's hand for the Weathertop sequence. I really, really, really tried to restrain myself, but I could tell he was getting tense about it and it just seemed...natural. He had looked at me in such a way, though. He smiled and those huge blue eyes almost startled me, especially with him in the modern clothes. I barely kept myself together well enough to smile back.  
  
I left it up to him as to when to let go, because I certainly wanted the moment to last as long as possible. I mean, sitting next to Frodo, who was looking to me for comfort, my fingers curled around his, in a room dark enough that no one was going to notice our hands sitting on the couch between us. Apparently Frodo had a similar idea, because he didn't bother letting go until the movie stopped.  
  
So now I was standing in Shelly's kitchen, wondering if I had gotten myself in a car wreck on the way to her house and died and this was Heaven. Even though it was just a nice moment--Frodo surely didn't think of me romantically, not after just twelve hours--the idea of it made me really happy. I probably would have just stood running over it all in my mind if Sam hadn't asked me why I was smiling.  
  
"No reason," I fibbed. "I don't really want to cook a whole meal again, would it be okay if I just got out some fruits and veggies?"  
  
"Veggies?"  
  
"Vegetables."  
  
"Oh." Sam nodded. "That'll be fine."  
  
We looked through the fridge and found some, mostly apples and carrots, which I knew they were familiar with. There were some bananas and oranges, but Sam didn't recognize those.  
  
"They're fruit, too, but they only grow in tropical areas," I explained.  
  
"Tropical?"  
  
"Where it's hot all the time and rains a lot. They grow them miles and miles away from here and then ship them to this area. With cars and planes, they can get here from thousands of miles away in a matter of days." I paused. "Do you want to try them?" I asked. It was going to be hard to feed them unless they got used to eating modern food, and foreign fruit seemed to be a good place to start.  
  
He considered that for a moment. "I suppose there's no harm in trying them, anyway. Set them out."  
  
We did, and we filled glasses of water for everyone. The Fellowship sat down around the table and helped themselves. I had to get two extra chairs, but that was no problem because Shelly's family keeps them around for when they have company. Shelly walked in then.  
  
"What are these?" Legolas asked, holding up a banana, the first one bold enough to stray from the foods they were familiar with.  
  
"That's a banana," I said. "Foreign fruit. Doesn't grow here, but they're really popular. They ship it to this area. Try it."  
  
He looked over it. He smelled it. Finally, he just bit off the bottom end, not knowing that he should have peeled it first.  
  
Shelly and I cracked up at the look on his face, and suddenly all eyes were on him. I quickly gave him a paper napkin. "Spit it out into there," I said, still laughing.  
  
"That's awful!" he said, doing as I'd said and crumpling the napkin. "What's so funny?"  
  
Shelly, still giggling, explained. "You ate the peel. It's not like an apple, you can't do that. You have to take the skin off." She picked up his banana and showed him. "Eat the light part, peel it down as you get to the end. It's much better this way," she assured him. "Try it again."  
  
His eyes lit up with understanding, and he took another bite. It took him a moment to respond. "It is better that way. It's different, it's...softer than most fruits."  
  
"Mushy," I supplied.  
  
He kind of nodded, not knowing what that word meant.  
  
"Before anyone tries an orange," I said, "Let me show you how to peel those, too, because they're the same way." I quickly peeled one and showed them how it divided into sections. "And it's kind of sour," I said. "But sweet, too. You have to just try it."  
  
By then everyone had at least tried the bananas, and they all tried a section from the orange. Gimli and Boromir didn't care for oranges, and Sam wasn't wild about bananas, but other than that they seemed to like the fruits well enough.  
  
Shelly and I went in the kitchen and ate our own snack--chips and salsa--all the while watching the Fellowship. The table would be really crowded if we sat, too, and they could still talk to us if they needed anything.  
  
"Have you pinched yourself today?" I asked her. "This has been incredible. I mean, I've tried to imagine meeting them, but it never got so complicated in my head."  
  
"No kidding. This is going to be wild. It happened at the right time, though. Can you imagine what would have happened if Mom and Dad and Kim were here when they showed up?"  
  
I shook my head. "Parents don't know how to handle things. They would've called the cops and they'd all be in jail now, or maybe a mental ward. And it'd be all over the news. Everyone would recognize them. Maybe not so much in these clothes, though."  
  
"I hope not," Shelly said. "We're going to have to get them other clothes pretty quickly, so that means taking them to WalMart."  
  
I nodded. "We'll need groceries, too. I think there's maybe enough eggs and bacon for breakfast in the morning, and I think I can scrape together lunch, but maybe not dinner. And I really hope modern food doesn't kill them, because I would really rather be making lasagna and pizza and nachos than stew and porridge and whatever else it is that they eat."  
  
"The Hobbits ate lembas, that was foreign to them," Shelly pointed out. "Sam even says something about foreign food in The Two Towers."  
  
I smiled, remembering the scene. "Yeah, but that's different, I think. Elves couldn't make anything bad," I said. "I think, anyway. I think that at breakfast we might try giving them cereal, and then sandwiches at lunch, the way we make sandwiches now, with mayo and deli meat and whatever."  
  
Shelly nodded. "I don't think it'll be too bad. It's still food, it's not like we're trying to give them poison or chemicals. I'm just worried about getting unexpected company. What if Allen shows up without calling? He said he'd check on us."  
  
I frowned. "That's right...he wouldn't go through every room in the house, would he? They could hide."  
  
"But if he drives up and they're in the dining room, he'll see them right through the window before anyone can hide."  
  
"Would he recognize them?"  
  
"Maybe, maybe not. But even if he doesn't, you know how he'll freak out if he finds us alone in my house with eight guys."  
  
I glanced over at the Fellowship. "There are really only seven guys. Seven guys and an OLD guy, which is completely different."  
  
That got her to smile. "Still, what are we going to do?"  
  
"We're just going to have to hope that Princess barks in time for everyone to go hide." I shrugged. "We can't very well lock them up. They probably feel constrained enough in the house."  
  
Just then, Pippin let out a very loud yawn, and me and Shelly had the same thought. "They sleep on a different schedule," I said.  
  
Shelly stepped to the kitchen entryway. "Hey, are any of you guys ready for bed?"  
  
"Yes," Pippin said, yawning again. "I am, anyway." A chorus of affirmatives followed. The only one who didn't agree was Legolas.  
  
"You don't sleep, do you?" I asked him.  
  
He shook his head. "Elves rest differently," he said. "I will lay down while everyone else sleeps."  
  
"What are they going to wear to sleep?" I asked Shelly.  
  
"These clothes, I guess," she said. "We don't have anything else. Come on; help me get sheets for the sofa bed. We'll have to fold that out."  
  
I followed her into the laundry room to carry sheets. Once we were in there, out of earshot, she grinned devilishly. "I wouldn't mind letting Legolas sleep in just his boxers," she said.  
  
I cracked up. She could have gotten the sheets herself; she just wanted to tell me that. "Or Frodo. Or even Pippin or Merry or Aragorn...just not Gimli."  
  
"Yeah. Bad mental image there. Eww. That's why I didn't suggest it to them."  
  
"Very wise," I told her.  
  
We went out into the living room, moved the square coffee table off to one side, and between the two of us managed to get the hide-a-bed set up.  
  
"Okay," she said to the Fellowship, who had been talking around the table. "Follow me, I'll show you where the beds are, and you can all figure out where you want to sleep." They followed her down the hallway. "This is my room, and Sarah and I will be sleeping in there. If you need anything, come knock on the door." Further down, at the end of the hall, there was a door on each side. "To the left, here," she said, pushing the door open, "Is my sister's room. She's got two big beds in there, so four can go in there. On the other side is my parents' room. Two can go in there. It's a waterbed, so you might go lay down on it before you decide." She led them back out to the living room and waved a hand to the hide-a-bed. "Two more out here. That's enough room for everyone."  
  
The Fellowship all headed into her parents' room and tried out the waterbed. Shelly and I watched from the door. It was funny to see Aragorn lay down first, because he obviously wasn't expecting it to move around under him. "What deviltry is this?" he cried, jumping back up.  
  
Shelly and I were in another giggle fit. "It's a waterproof sack full of water," I said, thinking of what I could compare it to. "Like a really big wineskin, except no one ever drinks the water." They got that one, and then everyone wanted to try it.  
  
Finally everyone calmed down and decided where to sleep. The four Hobbits took Kimmie's room, Aragorn and Boromir chose the living room, and Legolas and Gimli had the waterbed. It made sense, Legolas would be able to lie perfectly still and not mess it up for Gimli, and since he didn't really sleep it wasn't like he'd be kept awake if Gimli happened to move in his sleep.  
  
After everyone was settled in, had the right amounts of blankets, understood light switches so they could turn the lights off whenever they wanted, and was ready to sleep, Shelly and I retreated to her room and closed the door behind us. I pulled my PJs out of my bag. "It's kind of early," I said, "But for a change I AM actually tired." I normally keep pretty late hours.  
  
"It's excitement," Shelly said. "I'm tired, too. Even for all the trouble they're causing, you have to admit it's pretty cool."  
  
I nodded. "I wonder, though...even though the universe has somehow twisted itself around and sent them through time or space or whatever, why here and now? There are zillions of square miles of planet Earth, why here? And why not a week ago when your parents were home? I think it's gotta be fate."  
  
"You mean they're here with us on purpose?"  
  
I smiled. "God works in mysterious ways. I, for one, think we're very lucky. I can think of a lot of things I'd do without just have this time happen to me, and it landed in our laps."  
  
"Yeah...we really are lucky. Blessed."  
  
I nodded. "I'm going to go change." I took my PJs to the bathroom and changed. I wondered what Aragorn and Boromir would say about my PJs, since the door to Shelly's room is visible from the living room. It was one thing for them to accept girls in jeans. It was probably another thing entirely for them to see a girl in a t-shirt and pajama shorts. They were both asleep when I went back in Shelly's room, though.  
  
Shelly had already changed and gotten into bed.  
  
"You want the light off now?" I asked. She nodded and I shut the door, flipped the switch, and crawled into bed, too. "Do you think I should just get groceries tomorrow or do you think they're ready to shop for clothes?"  
  
"I think if we have Cody and Mike with us to help them and we explain stuff before we go and tell them not to ask questions too loudly, then maybe we could take them tomorrow. We can't let them put their original stuff back on, and what they're wearing will need to be washed."  
  
"Right. They should each have, like, three sets of clothes, plus something to sleep in."  
  
Shelly yawned. "Tomorrow, Cody and Mike will have to show them how to use the shower."  
  
"Right. Are you that tired?"  
  
"Mmmhmm..."  
  
"'Kay, then, I'll let you sleep. G'night."  
  
"Night..."  
  
I fell asleep pretty quickly with no one to talk to. The next thing I knew, there was a loud knocking on the door. "I'll get it, you sleep," I told Shelly. It was still dark out. I got up and straightened my clothes out before answering the door. Gimli was standing there.  
  
"What's the matter?" I asked. "What do you need?"  
  
"Breakfast," he said, matter-of-factly.  
  
I groggily looked past him into the living room. The rest of the Fellowship was awake, chatting quietly. I leaned back into Shelly's room and looked at her clock. Then I looked back at Gimli. "Do you realize that it is only five o'clock in the morning?" I asked, annoyed.  
  
"I do not know what this o'clock you speak of is, but the sun is beginning to rise. By the time you dress and cook breakfast, it will be time to eat it."  
  
This was one of the things I hadn't counted on. I was still sleepy, but I couldn't make them wait three hours for breakfast. I decided to let Shelly sleep since I seemed to be in charge of cooking, anyway, and I walked toward the kitchen.  
  
"You can put a robe on, lass," Gimli said. I'd almost forgotten that my legs were showing from my knees down.  
  
"Not a problem, Gimli, this is what we wear to sleep these days. It's okay." No one really wanted to look at me after seeing what I was wearing, but that was all right with me, since I still had to fix my hair. "Come on, Sam, you can help." I started the stove for him and let him cook bacon and eggs. I knew he'd done that before, only over a fire. While he was doing that, I made bowls of Cheerios for everyone.  
  
When everyone was at the table, I explained cereal to them, and then asked Sam, "You know how to load the dishwasher, right?"  
  
"Yes, I can put the dishes into it. I don't know how to work the dials and the soap and all."  
  
"That's good enough. There are bananas in the fridge if anyone wants them, just close the door once you've gotten them, and load the dishwasher when you're finished eating. Sam knows how it's done. Now, I am going back to sleep."  
  
"Back to sleep?" Boromir asked.  
  
"Yes. In this day and age, we stay up later and sleep later. Shelly and I will be up in about three hours. See you later, gentlemen." I had been hoping to sleep in while I was at Shelly's house, but eight was better than five.  
  
I crawled back into bed and Shelly woke. "What's the problem?" she murmured.  
  
"Breakfast. They wanted breakfast. I forgot that if they went to bed at their normal time they'd get up at their normal time, too. I told them we were sleeping until eight. We're going to have to keep them up later tonight so they'll sleep longer."  
  
"Mmmm." Shelly was already halfway back to sleep, and I quickly joined her.  
  
A/N: Like I said, anyone who can name the movie I paid homage to in this chapter (and how I did) gets a quick mention in the next authoress' notes. Even if you don't know, please review! And then go join our group!


	7. Camp Chores and Car Rides

DISCLAIMER: We do not own Lord of the Rings, if we did I would have met Orlando Bloom.  
  
Authoress's Notes:  
  
SHELLY: Thank you to all our reviewers. We really appreciate your feedback. Please review, but don't forget flames will be used to roast marshmellows with the fellowship.  
  
SARAH: We don't own Pirates of the Caribbean, either, but there is a small reference to it in here.  
  
Chapter Seven--Camp Chores and Car Rides  
  
Shelly POV  
  
I woke up at 7:30 and decided to go ahead and get up, so I got dressed and fixed my hair into its usual ponytail. After I put on a little makeup, I felt human enough to face the Fellowship.  
  
"Good morning, gentlemen," I said, coming into the dining room, where they were all still sitting and talking.  
  
"Good morning, Shelly," said Frodo. I went and grabbed some cereal and sat down next to him. He grinned at me and I could not help but smile back.  
  
"Where's Sarah?" Legolas asked.  
  
"She's still asleep. I usually get up a little earlier than she does. Besides, it's not even eight o'clock yet," I said.  
  
"Now, lass, what is this o'clock that Sarah and you keep speaking of?" Gimli asked. For the next twenty minutes or so, I explained how we tell time and taught them.  
  
"So it is eight o'clock now," said Pippin.  
  
"Are you going to wake Sarah up?" asked Boromir.  
  
"Yes, it is eight, but I'm going to let Sarah sleep until Cody and Mike get here," I explained.  
  
"Shelly, is that machine really safe?" asked Sam.  
  
"What machine?" I was completely confused. I had no clue what he was talking about.  
  
"I told him about the car," explained Frodo.  
  
"Oh, yeah, cars are relatively safe. They are safer than horses and much easier than walking. They've been around for a long time." I explained how cars worked and some of the history until we heard Sarah come in.  
  
"Morning, everyone. Why didn't you wake me up, Shelly?"  
  
"I was up early, plus you got up this morning at five. I figured you deserved to sleep a little late." All the sudden, Legolas went over to the window. "Someone approaches," he said. Then, Princess started barking.  
  
"Wow, Legolas, you have better ears than the dog," I said.  
  
Sarah quickly moved to check who it was. "It's Cody and Mike," she said, "We're safe." She gave me a glare for teasing Legolas.  
  
"What? I was only joking." Legolas began to look confused, so I quickly explained. "Pulling your leg, teasing, jesting..."  
  
"Ah, like I do to Estel about Arwen."  
  
"What about Arwen?" Aragorn said, looking up for the first time that morning. At that, Legolas and I burst out laughing.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Nothing, Aragorn," I said through my laughter. Then, the door opened.  
  
"'Ello, poppets," Mike quoted, getting smiles from me and Sarah. He actually does a pretty good impression of Pintel.  
  
"Hey, Mike. Where's Cody?" Sarah asked.  
  
"He said to tell ya that we'd be back after we finished working."  
  
"Wait a sec. I need to talk to you two," I told him, slipping on shoes I'd left by the door.  
  
"Alrighty then," said Mike, as we went outside.  
  
"Morning, Cody," I said as I got out to the convertible.  
  
"Morning, Shelly. How did your night go?"  
  
"Great, until we were woken at five this morning by a hungry Fellowship."  
  
"What?"  
  
I laughed and explained what happened that morning. "Could you guys do something for me? Would you show them how to shower and stuff?" I asked.  
  
"Well, we explained about the restrooms yesterday when they were dressing. We didn't tell you guys that, did we?" Mike said.  
  
"No, but, boy, are we glad you did."  
  
"I never woulda thought that I'd have to teach grown men how to take a shower," said Cody, with a laugh.  
  
"Please, Sarah and I obviously cannot show them, so you two have to."  
  
"All right, fine, we will," said Cody, finally.  
  
"In return, we'll help ya'll work, and afterwards we can all go to WalMart," I said, quickly, hoping to slip what I actually said past them.  
  
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, who said we'd go to WalMart with you guys?" asked Mike.  
  
"Sarah and I can't help them try on clothes, either, so we figured you all could do that while she and I get the groceries that we needed. Pretty please," I said with the sweetest smile I could muster on my face.  
  
"Nope, not gonna do it," said Mike, stubbornly.  
  
"Fine, then, Sarah and I will just go in the dressing rooms with them. On second thought, we don't even need you. Bye." I turned to walk into the house, knowing that the guys would never let us do that.  
  
"She's got us," Cody said quietly. "Fine, we'll do it!" he said loudly.  
  
I turned back to him and smiled. "I thought so. Come on in."  
  
So, while Sarah and I straightened up the house, ran the dishwasher, and started washing the Fellowship's original clothes, Cody and Mike showed the Fellowship how to use the shower and soap and stuff. Once they were done and all the Fellowship vaguely smelled of Herbal Essences shampoo, we walked up to camp to work.  
  
"Shelly, you, Frodo, and Merry take care of the pool. Sarah, Legolas, and Gimli get the main building to mop and clean. Pippin and Sam with me, and Aragorn and Boromir with Mike," said Cody, taking charge.  
  
"What care does a pool need?" asked Frodo.  
  
I realized he thought we meant a pond, and the campground's in-ground pool was anything but. "These days pool means an artificial lake, a big basin we've built and filled with water from a hose--which is kind of like a faucet you can take anywhere. We use the pool to swim in during the summer. It feels really good on a hot day," I explained. "We'll have to clean it and add chlorine, which keeps the water clear."  
  
"I'm glad I don't have to be near that," Sam said, reminding me that most Hobbits don't like water.  
  
Sarah asked, "I know you don't mind water, Merry, 'cause you're from Buckland, but are you going to be all right, Frodo?"  
  
Frodo shrugged. "So long as I don't have to get my feet wet."  
  
Sarah shook her head. "You won't."  
  
"Now, laddie," said Gimli, turning to Cody, "Why do the elf and I get the women's work?"  
  
"Listen, Master Dwarf, you'll think women's work after you've swept and mopped the dining hall," said Sarah. "Some jobs are easier nowadays but some things never change. Now let's go."  
  
Once Frodo, Merry and I reached the pool, I started to put the pool vacuum together. Frodo and Merry were playing around. "Stay away from the edge, guys. I wouldn't want you to fall in."  
  
"Okay, Mummy," said Merry, mockingly.  
  
A few minutes later, I heard something behind me and the next thing I knew I was falling into the water. Once I surfaced, I looked at Frodo and Merry's guilty faces.  
  
"I'm going to kill you guys," I said, getting out of the pool and beginning to chase them. All of a sudden, Frodo slipped and fell face first into the pool. Merry stopped running and began to laugh at Frodo.  
  
"Cousin, we're going to have to teach you how to run." The next thing Merry knew he was in the water beside Frodo, who didn't bother to warn Merry that I was coming.  
  
"Never mess with a Brown. Now, let's get to work," I said, laughing at the startled expression on his face. Once we were all out of the pool, I started Merry vacuuming. While he was doing that, I showed Frodo how to empty the filters and got him to work on that. Finally, I went to add the chlorine. When I looked back over at the Hobbits, they'd taken their shirts off to dry. I never realized how muscular Hobbits were. They're not all really fat creatures. Merry and Frodo definitely had some muscles. Then, I noticed Frodo's shoulder. It hurt to see the scar. I wanted to go and hug him and make sure he was feeling okay. As I finished up my task, I began to remember all the things he still had to endure and I could not help but feel sorry for him. All of a sudden, I felt a tap on my shoulder. I looked up and there stood Cody. He noticed what I was looking at.  
  
"He's got so much more to go through. I feel so awful. I wish there was something we could do to help him. I just wish we could make the burden easier to bear," I said, quietly, looking at Frodo.  
  
"I know. He's a good guy. He doesn't deserve what he's getting, but we both know he can handle it." Then, Cody said, "By the way, what happened to you three?" He looked down at my wet clothes and I remembered he'd seen me watching the two obviously shirtless Hobbits.  
  
"Oh, Merry and Frodo thought it would be fun to push me in. Then, while I was chasing them Frodo tripped and fell into the pool, and I was able to push Merry in while he was laughing at Frodo."  
  
"Oh." I could tell Cody was fighting laughter.  
  
"You think that's funny, huh?"  
  
"No, but the image of you chasing them around is so funny to think about."  
  
"Really?" I said, standing up. "Then you should find this hilarious." And with that I pushed Cody right into the pool.  
  
He yelled at me. "Shelly, you are so lucky that I'm done with my work! Now, I have to go and change. You need to finish here." He headed for the gate.  
  
"Thanks, as soon as Merry's done, we're done," I said as he left.  
  
"FINISHED!" I heard Merry yell.  
  
I smiled. "Great, then, let's go back to the house. We can set out lunch and I can change out of these wet clothes." When we got to the house, Sam and Pippin were already there, so while I was changing, Frodo and Merry had fun telling the other two about our little pool escapade.  
  
After I changed and got everything ready for lunch, Cody was back and sent Merry and Frodo back to take showers, one in the main bathroom and one in my parents' bathroom. While they were in the shower, I left Cody there and went to get Sarah, Mike, and the others for lunch.  
  
I was glad that they all seemed to enjoy their lunches, because all I did was set out sandwich stuff and left Sarah to explain what they were supposed to do. I didn't really get to talk to them that much because I was trying to get their laundry done.  
  
"Okay," Sarah said as everyone was finishing eating. "We're going to take you guys to town, because we need to go to WalMart. You are all going to have to ride in a car to get there. All eight of you cannot fit in one car, so you'll have to split up. Shelly and Cody will be in one car and Mike and I will be in the other. Three of you will go with Shelly in her car, and five of you will go with me in my van."  
  
"Yeah," I said. "There are also a few things you cannot do in town. You cannot call each other your real names, because your names are not like the names people have today. You also should not call each other Hobbit, Elf, Dwarf, orc or any other species of creature. As far as anyone knows, you're all human, okay? You can ask questions, but try to stay calm and quiet. Pretend you are here all the time. If you point at things and start asking what it is really loudly, then people will think you are insane. You guys also do not want to draw attention to yourself because someone might mistake you for the actors in the movie. Now, I know I sound really mean, but I don't want anything bad to happen to you. You guys can decide how you want to split up now."  
  
"Shelly?"  
  
"Yeah, Mike," I answered, leaving the Fellowship alone to discuss who was riding where.  
  
"What about Gimli's hair? It's not quite normal."  
  
We all thought about that for a moment. Finally I asked, "What about a cowboy hat for Gimli? Everyone around here wears one." For a second there, I felt extremely proud of myself.  
  
"I have another question," said Cody. "What about the Hobbits' feet?" Since everyone else had plain boots that they could wear with their modern clothes, I completely forgot that the Hobbits were barefoot and had huge feet. Then, I remembered my dad's feet.  
  
"I completely forgot about that, but my dad has big feet. I bet his shoes would fit, and he has some that he never wears." After we got the shoes and the hat, Cody, Mike, and I had to convince the Hobbits that the shoes were not alive and would not hurt them, even though they looked nothing like the rest of the Fellowship's shoes. While we were doing that, Sarah persuaded Gimli to wear the hat and to hide all his hair under it.  
  
"Shelly, Sarah," said Aragorn. "We have chosen the groups. Legolas, Gimli, Merry, Boromir, and myself will ride with Sarah and Mike. Frodo, Sam, and Pippin will ride with Shelly and Cody."  
  
Once we got to my car, Cody said, "I'll sit in the back with Pippin and Sam to keep them calm. Frodo, you sit in the front, since you already rode in a car." Then, he got in the car with Sam and Pippin. Finally, after Sarah and I settled everyone into the vehicles and made sure they were all wearing seatbelts, we were ready to set off to WalMart.  
  
"Are we there yet, Shelly?" said Pippin, fifteen minutes later. WalMart is about a thirty-minute drive from my house.  
  
"Not yet, Pip. A little bit longer," Frodo answered for me, even though he didn't know either. Pippin nodded and went back to his conversation with Cody.  
  
"Shelly, what is a WalMart?" Frodo asked a minute later.  
  
"It's a store where they sell everything from clothes to food to movies to gardening equipment to..."  
  
Sam interrupted. "Excuse me, Shelly, but did you say gardening tools, like spades, hoes, and the like?"  
  
"Yes, Sam, I did. Here we have lots of places that sell things. Some sell clothes..."  
  
"You do not make your own clothes?" asked Pippin.  
  
"No. And we don't grow our own food either," said Cody. All three Hobbits looked shocked.  
  
I amended his statement. "We do plant gardens, some people anyway, but that's not all we eat. Frodo, do you have a market back in the Shire?"  
  
"Yes, Shelly, of course."  
  
"Well, this is like a big one of those. We call it a Supercenter." Cody and I continued to answer their questions about stores and WalMart until Sam asked, "Is this WalMart a very big place?"  
  
"Tell me yourself," I said pulling into the parking lot. I quickly found Sarah and parked next to her. I looked at her and grinned, "Ready to shop, Sarah?"  
  
A/N: Time to shop. Please review. It would make us really happy. 


	8. Women's Work and Shopping Sprees

DISCLAIMER: We don't own LOTR, if we did Gandalf would not have been a pervy hobbit fancier.  
  
Authoress's Notes:  
  
SARAH: Okay, so nobody picked up on the movie thing in chappie six. Oh well. It was a tribute to the movie K-PAX, in which Kevin Spacey's character at one point eats an entire banana with the peel on. The difference is, of course, that he likes it--go rent it, 'tis a good movie. Since we've gotten this far I thought I'd do review rsponses, for kicks, lol.

Moralinde--Thanks for the 2 reviews! I hope that you keep enjoying the story as the plot thickens!

chelso--I'm glad somebody appreciates our wacky sense of humor! I assure you, it's DEFINITELY not the last chapter, we've actually got a lot more written but we're posting it slowly so that we have a chance to keep writing more and stay ahead so it's never like "Oh, well, we haven't written any more so you'll just have to wait." And no, we don't happen to like Frodo OR Legolas, I like Frodo and Shelly likes Legolas. Hehehe. Are we that obvious?

Laer4752--Glad you appreciate it! Our author name is a bit of a mouthful, I can see why it'd be hard to find, lol.

DRUNKEN LANDLORD--I did have a good day today, thanks! Reviews always make my day.

Hollie Black--HOLLIE-CHAN! YOU READ IT! And FOUR reviews! WOOT! Nice talking to ya. Extreme Makeover, indeed. If you want to SEE Aragorn in jeans join the Yahoo group! Actually it's a group pic with all the new clothes, and Leggy and Frodo don't look half-bad, either. And yes, I think I'd die if the Prince of Mirkwood smiled at me, too...notices Frodo in corner glaring at her...but not half so much as if Frodo smiled at me! Frodo mutters something like "That's better." Yes, that was our reasoning, ME guys are still guys, no getting around that. We've been over that whole Aragorn-and-Arwen-RotK-kiss, lol. Yeeaaaaahh...I thought maybe they might be a little bit more suspicious, but then I thought, "Well, there's so much PROOF everywhere, you know? I mean, NOTHING looks like ME anymore (sadly)..." I think in their place I would believe me and Shelly. Hiding the Ring was Shelly's idea, so many people don't bother to even think of it, I probably would have forgotten, nitpicky as I can be. Oh, and for your information--Cody and Mike are based on real guys. The physical appearance is taken directly from real life, and the personalities are how they are when they're nice. Too bad that's not 24/7 IRL. And, yes, the real Cody probably WOULD say that. At any rate, glad you enjoyed it so far, I hope you keep reading!

Almost Funny--drops arrow Oh, all right. You liked the movie-watching chapter? Lol, I was afraid we skipped too much, thanks for the kind words. Glad you liked it, hope you keep reading!

jordan--Thanks! Please keep reading! (Were you aware that that's Elijah's middle name? )

Kristine--Yay! Glad you liked it! Please keep reading!  
  
SHELLY: We're back. Sorry so long between updates, but I just started college and things are hectic. Thanks to our many reviewers. Please continue, but remember flames will simply be given to Sauron to fuel the eye.  
  
Chapter Eight--Women's Work and Shopping Sprees  
  
Sarah POV  
  
Gimli, Legolas, and I entered the camp's main building, and I led them across the dining hall and into the chapel. "We'll clean in here first so we don't walk all over our work," I said. "After this we'll do the downstairs and then mop the dining hall." I opened a supply closet against the back wall and pulled out the vaccum cleaner, dustcloths, and a stepladder.  
  
"Okay, Gimli, you take these rags and wipe off everything that's dusty, I'll go around with the stepstool and do what you can't reach, and Legolas, let me show you how the vacuum works." I plugged it in, warned them about the noise, turned it on, and then got Legolas started on that.  
  
The chapel has a pointed ceiling, so I went and dusted the blinds at the front that were too high for Gimli to reach, the wall-mounted speakers, and everything in the sound booth at the back. I could just picture Gimli accidentally unplugging a wire while he dusted, plugging it back in the wrong place, and then when Jeff came to do the sound for the next chapel service the whole thing could very well blow up.  
  
I watched Legolas while I worked and I couldn't help but remember a picture I'd found on the internet once, a silly fanart of one of my favorite animé characters who also happened to be a blond guy. He'd been wearing a French maid's uniform and had a chain locked around his wrist. I tried to picture Legolas in the same outfit and I couldn't keep from cracking up.  
  
"What's so funny, lass?" Gimli asked.  
  
"You wouldn't understand even if I explained," I told him.  
  
When everything was clean in the chapel I led them back across the dining hall to the stairs and we went down to the lower level. We swept the rec hall and the bathrooms--me in the girl's and the two of them in the guy's. The staff quarters were empty for the time being, so we didn't mess with them. Usually they only got cleaned right before they were scheduled to be occupied.  
  
After that, we headed back upstairs. The dining hall was empty right now, all the chairs had been stacked and the tables folded up and put away. I went through the kitchen onto the back porch and came back with mopping supplies. I quickly got them set up, explained the principle of not walking where the floor had already been mopped, and got started.  
  
It hadn't crossed my mind until that moment, but I realized that the One Ring was in the room, locked away in the cabinet by the fireplace. I wondered if Legolas or Gimli could sense its presence, because I couldn't. I tried not to look at the cabinet, because I thought if I did so too often they might figure out where the Ring was.  
  
I also tried not to think about ever looking at it, because I knew that I would likely never have that chance. I wondered, of course, how accurate the movie was, and I wanted to see it out of sheer curiosity--not put it on, not even touch it, mind you--but I knew that satisfying my curiosity was not worth being that close to utter evil. Even given the opportunity, I'd be too scared to touch it, too scared of what it could do to me. I never had liked Tolkien's ending of the books, where Frodo was left so emotionally scarred by the Ring that he simply couldn't live his normal life anymore and had to go over the Sea. It wasn't fair. He saved the world and then didn't get to enjoy it at all.  
  
Before I knew what was happening, I was blinking back tears. I stopped mopping for a moment to regain my composure and Legolas noticed as he went by. "Are you all right, Sarah?"  
  
I smiled at him. "It's nothing, Legolas. I'm just being...emotional, I guess. I was thinking about a sad book I read once. I don't even know what reminded me of it. Silly, huh?"  
  
"Not at all, Sarah, I can think of stories that always bring a tear to my eye."  
  
"Like Beren and Lúthien?" I asked.  
  
"You're familiar with that story?" he asked.  
  
"Yeah. When Tolkien wrote the story of what happened to the Fellowship, he ended up writing many other books about a lot of other things in your world, too. He wrote a book called the Silmarillion--"  
  
"About the Silmarils!" Legolas cut in. Of course. He would know everything in that book except the chapter "Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age," and even some of that.  
  
I nodded, glad that something in our world had finally connected with one of them, and excited to be talking about books. I'm a bookworm, I admit it--my plans for college were to get a degree in library science. "Beren and Lúthien was my favorite story out of there, and then probably Túrin Turambar."  
  
"Terribly sad, both of them," he said.  
  
"Yes, but so romantic. These days we call that kind of story a romantic tragedy. We kind of have our own Beren and Lúthien, an old tale written about six hundred years ago by a man named Shakespeare. It's called Romeo and Juliet."  
  
"Tell me," Legolas said.  
  
"Well, it's really a play, but I can tell you what happens."  
  
Suddenly Gimli cut in. "I think that there might be a little less storytelling and a little more mopping," he said.  
  
I blushed. I'd completely forgotten that we were supposed to be working, and there I was with my hands wrapped around a mop handle. "Sorry, Gimli. Come on, Legolas, I'll tell you while we mop."  
  
We mopped parallel to each other and I paraphrased the story for him. I quoted directly where I could. "He jests at scars that never felt a wound. But soft, what light from yonder window breaks? 'Tis the east, and Juliet is the sun!"  
  
Legolas smiled. "Lovely," he said.  
  
"Shakespeare is considered to be the greatest writer of all time," I told him. "Unlike your tale of Beren and Lúthien, Romeo and Juliet was all made up."  
  
"That is not necessarily something to be looked down on," he told me. "It takes much more creativity to make up a story like that than it does to write down something that really happened."  
  
I nodded. By now we were getting close to the front door, and the three of us were getting too close together. "Okay, guys, why don't you go out on the front porch and wait, and I'll finish this last bit and put the stuff away."  
  
"All right, lass," Gimli said, and the two went outside.  
  
I finished quickly and just as I opened the door to step out on the porch, Shelly walked up. "Lunchtime, guys! I just sent Mike, Aragorn, and Boromir to the house. Come on."  
  
The four of us walked together and joked around.  
  
"Why's your hair wet?" I asked Shelly, and we got to hear about the little pool fiasco. Gimli, Legolas and I couldn't help but laugh.  
  
At last we got back to the house and had lunch. The Fellowship seemed to like the idea of sandwiches because it gave them a little more control over what they each ate. The table was crowded since me, Mike, and Cody all sat down, too.  
  
"I wish we had mushrooms, though," Pippin said again.  
  
"I haven't forgotten," I said. "Hopefully I can get some in time for dinner tonight."  
  
"What I can't understand," Merry said, "Is why you don't have second breakfast, either."  
  
I had to laugh at that. "We have three meals a day," I told him, "But we snack in between. It also depends on who you talk to, a lot of doctors say now that it's better for you to have six small meals a day instead of three big ones." The Hobbits liked hearing that.  
  
"See, Aragorn?" Pippin said. "Never forget your second breakfast."  
  
That made me smile. I love what his accent does to the word "second."  
  
Lunch was over soon, and it wasn't too long before we were all loading into the cars. I drive a huge van that can hold seven people. It used to be the family car, but I drove it more than anyone, so finally Dad bought Mom her own car and the van was mine to keep. I had been meaning to trade it in for a smaller car, but now I was grateful that I hadn't had the chance.  
  
"Mike, since I'm up front, why don't you sit in the back so you can help me keep an eye on things, okay?" He nodded and climbed in. Aragorn and Boromir sat on either side of him, and then Legolas and Gimli sat in the middle row of seats. Merry sat up front, next to me. In a few moments everyone was settled and belted in, so I turned the key and we were on our way.  
  
"It'll take us about thirty minutes to drive there," I told everyone as we pulled out of Shelly's driveway.  
  
"Even going this fast?" Legolas asked, looking at the scenery flashing by.  
  
"Yup," I said. "For the record, we're going about fifty-five miles an hour, give or take."  
  
Aragorn looked up. "Do you mean to say that going this fast, one could be fifty-five miles from where one started within the space of an hour?"  
  
"That's right," Mike said.  
  
Boromir shook his head. "It is unfortunate that these...cars have not been invented yet in Middle-Earth. They would make our quest much easier."  
  
I smiled at that. "Certainly. At least if you had roads like these. I doubt you could drive a car that fast over rough terrain."  
  
"They'd need a Hummer," Mike said. At their confused looks, he explained. "A really tough car, one that's built to do that."  
  
We passed through a small town as we turned off Shelly's road and onto the highway. There's not much there but a gas station, a church, and Shelly, Cody and Mike's school. As we drew nearer and nearer to the larger town where the WalMart was located, more and more questions started popping up. Mike and I were hard-pressed to quickly explain fast-food restaurants, grocery stores, stoplights and traffic laws, semi trucks, warehouses, shopping malls, and parking lots. I pointed out the houses--or at least the streets--where some of our other friends lived, like Nicky and Ty.  
  
At last we pulled into the WalMart parking lot. It's located almost on the opposite edge of town if you come from our direction. Ten minutes of the thirty-minute drive is just getting across town.  
  
Shelly pulled in right next to me and we all started getting out. "Ready to shop, Sarah?" she asked.  
  
I pulled my checkbook out of my bag and held it up. "Am I ever!"  
  
Cody and Mike groaned in unison.  
  
Everyone gathered between the two cars and I divided up the tasks. "Okay, now. Shelly, you pick out stuff for Legolas, Aragorn, Merry, and Pippin. I'll pick for Frodo, Boromir, Sam and Gimli. Cody, Mike, you're in charge of getting underwear and sleep stuff, okay? The rest of you tag along with whoever's picking your clothes. We'll meet at the fitting rooms in...forty-five minutes?" I asked. Shelly, Cody, and Mike nodded. "Then you two," I told Cody and Mike, "Will help the guys make sure everything fits while Shelly and I get the groceries and stuff."  
  
"Got it," Mike said. "Come on, Cody, let's get ahead of them so we don't have to hear the crazed fangirl screams."  
  
"Good idea." Cody and Mike ran ahead while Shelly, the Fellowship and I walked to the main doors. We immediately headed for men's clothing. Shelly headed off with her four guys and I went with my four.  
  
I chose Gimli's clothes first because I have a high regard for saving the best for last, or at least getting the least pleasant out of the way first. Since he was already wearing the cowboy hat, I found western clothes for him--jeans and cowboy shirts. I thought about taking him back to the shoe department and getting him cowboy boots as well, but then I remembered that his feet were short and stubby. There wouldn't be any shoes that would fit him, so his own boots would have to do.  
  
After that I went around among the clothes intended for younger guys, picking up whatever caught my eye and giving it to whichever of the three I thought it would suit best. I bumped into Shelly near a rack of t-shirts.  
  
She giggled. "This is so much fun."  
  
I took a rust-colored t-shirt off the rack and held it up against Frodo, who just looked at me blankly. "You can say that again. You know, I feel kind of like one of the style experts from a makeover show." The joke was lost on everyone but Shelly, but that was okay. She laughed.  
  
"Only three outfits apiece?" she asked.  
  
I sighed. "I know, I know...I can see so much stuff that would be cool..."  
  
"Cool?" Pippin asked.  
  
Shelly shook her head. "In style," she said. He seemed to get that. She turned to me. "There's a clearance rack closer to the fitting rooms," she told me. "Pretty cool stuff."  
  
I nodded. "Come on guys, we're heading that way."  
  
The forty-five minutes passed quickly and we all gathered around the fitting room. Mike and Cody had a cart with them and they'd already found everything they'd been sent to look for. Each member of the Fellowship had an armful of clothes to try on.  
  
"Okay," Shelly said, "You guys know what to do, me and Sarah are going to go get a cart and do the grocery shopping. We'll come back here when we're done."  
  
"Right. See ya," Mike said.  
  
I didn't really have a list but I had a pretty good idea of the groceries we needed, so Shelly and I just started at one end of the store and worked our way up and down the aisles to the other end. After that we went and stocked up on soap and shampoo.  
  
"How are the guys shaving?" Shelly asked.  
  
"Not all of them are," I pointed out. "Hobbits don't have facial hair, and I don't think Elves do, either, and Gimli, we know, is not shaving..."  
  
She smiled at that. "Are you sure about Elves, though?"  
  
"Well, I don't remember ever reading of one with facial hair, or seeing one on the movie."  
  
"That's true. So it's just Aragorn and Boromir."  
  
"I guess. And this morning they looked as clean-shaven as they ever did, so they must have shaving stuff in their packs."  
  
We started walking back towards the fitting room. Not surprisingly, the guys were waiting on us.  
  
"Everything go okay?" I asked.  
  
Cody nodded. "Can we just check out now?" he asked, verging on begging.  
  
Shelly laughed. "All right, let's go."  
  
A/N: Review please!


	9. Of Hot Guys and Shameless Flirts

DISCLAIMER:We do not own LOTR, if we did Elladan and Elrohir would have had a bigger role in the movies.  
  
Authoress's Notes:  
  
SHELLY: First of all, thanks to all the reviewers out there. We really appreciate gettin feedback, so leave us a review, but remember flames are merely given to Merry and Pippin to light their pipes.  
  
SARAH: Hehehe...this is where it begins to become obvious who our REAL favorite LotR actors/characters are. Yes, we both like Frodo AND Legolas, but we each have a different #1 fave...  
  
Chapter Nine--Of Hot Guys and Shameless Flirts  
  
Shelly POV  
  
"Sarah, look at this," I said, pointing out a magazine with Orlando Bloom on the cover. We were standing in the checkout line, waiting on the person in front of us.  
  
"He is so hot. He's almost as hot as Elijah," Sarah said teasingly, looking at the magazine with me.  
  
"Sarah, he is way hotter than any other guy, except maybe Legolas," I said. When he heard his name, Legolas turned around.  
  
"I am not hot. It is very cool in here."  
  
_Stupid Elvish hearing..._ "That's not what we mean," I said, blushing. "For us, hot is also a term we use to say good-looking or handsome."  
  
"Shelly, are you saying that I am handsome?"  
  
"Yeah, I guess I am." _Did I just say that?_ "But not as handsome as this guy," I said, turning the magazine around to show him the picture. "Hey Sarah, can I borrow a few bucks to buy this? I'll pay ya back at home."  
  
"Sure, Shelly, toss it on with everything else."  
  
"Thanks," I said, grinning at her.  
  
"Who is he?" Legolas asked quietly as Sarah paid.  
  
"He's an actor," I answered, grabbing a bag and heading out the door. Everyone else had already grabbed one and they were waiting outside. "His name is Orlando Bloom." I continued to explain that he played Legolas.  
  
"So he is the actor that they filmed in order to make the movie we watched?"  
  
I nodded.  
  
"So, Sarah, Mike, Cody, and you think that I look like him?"  
  
I nodded again.  
  
"How could I? He has brown hair and facial hair. His eyes are not even blue. He looks more like Aragorn than like me," Legolas said, frustrated.  
  
"Well, in the film, he wore a wig to cover his hair and contacts--that's little sheets of plastic that can stick to your eye without hurting them--to make himself look like you." I pulled out the magazine and showed him a picture of Orli dressed as Legolas.  
  
"Now what do you think?"  
  
"He looks more Elvish, but I still do not think that we look alike," he answered.  
  
"Have you looked in a mirror lately? Trust me, the two of you are identical," I told him.  
  
He frowned at the picture. "His eyebrows are still dark."  
  
I had to giggle a little bit at that, since that was a joke a lot of people made about the movie. I rolled my eyes at him. "You're getting to be really picky...you're almost as bad as Mike."  
  
"Does this book also show the other actors' actual appearances?" he asked.  
  
"I don't know, but I can find photos of them for you later," I told him.  
  
"What are photos?" Frodo asked, eavesdropping on our conversation.  
  
"They are like this," and I showed him the pictures in the magazine. "They capture images on film. When you develop the film, you see the image on paper. It's like the movie we watched, only a photo is just one still picture and can't move. I'll show you at the house."  
  
"Okay," Frodo said, rushing ahead to help Sarah put her things in the van. _He is such a gentleman._ Finally, Legolas and I reached my car where the others were waiting.  
  
"Shelly, I wish to hear more about these actors, especially the one you think looks like me," Legolas said.  
  
"Well, we'll have to get someone to trade you cars," I answered.  
  
"Shelly," I heard Frodo say, "Do you care if I ride with Sarah and someone else rides with you?" _How convenient!_  
  
"I will ride with her," said Legolas, grinning.  
  
"Fine with me, let's go," I said.  
  
"I get shotgun," said Cody.  
  
"Wrong, Legolas and I are talking, you get in the back with Pippin and Sam."  
  
"Actually," said Pippin, "it will be Merry and I, not Sam, riding with you. He wanted to ride with Frodo."  
  
"Okay, Cody, sit in the middle. I do not want a prank pulled while I'm driving."  
  
Once we were all in the car, I told Legolas about Orlando Bloom, Elijah Wood, and pretty much every other actor in the Lord of the Rings. Suddenly, as I was stopped at a stoplight, I felt something wet in my ear.  
  
"CODY DEAN TAYLOR, please tell me that I did not just get a wet willy from you."  
  
Cody grinned, "It wasn't me." I looked in the rearview mirror and saw Merry's guilty face looking back.  
  
"Meriadoc Brandybuck, if you cannot behave, you may walk back to my house, and Cody, you better not teach them anything else bad."  
  
Merry stared incredulously. "But I wouldn't know the way..."  
  
"Merry, I believe the lady is serious," said Legolas, trying to conceal his laughter.  
  
"Do you think this is funny, Elf-boy? Huh?" I was fighting laughter too.  
  
"Yes, I do," he answered seriously.  
  
"Good, because it is." All of a sudden, my cell phone started ringing.  
  
"Cody, answer that. It's in my purse on the floorboard," I told him.  
  
"Hello." He listened for a second. "Hold on, Sarah," he said handing me the phone, "Here, Sarah wants to talk to you." I took the phone from him.  
  
"Yeah, Sarah, what is it?"  
  
"Mike and the others are hungry. Wanna stop somewhere?"  
  
"I'll stop at the IGA and pick up a few burgers and a couple of pizzas." The IGA is a local grocery store with a deli section.  
  
"All right. Cool."  
  
"Now, here's a good question, who can eat more, Cody and Mike or the Hobbits?" I saw Cody give me a dirty look in the rearview mirror.  
  
"That is a good question."  
  
"I'll call in the order and meet ya'll at home. The Fellowship is finally going to have real food."  
  
"Okay, bye."  
  
"See ya at home." Click.  
  
"Cody," I said, "Could you call the store and order four or five burgers with everything and 2 pizzas, one pepperoni and the other supreme."  
  
"Sure."  
  
Once we got to the IGA, I realized that Cody could not get out to help me without tripping over the Hobbits, and I would need help carrying the order.  
  
"Legolas, come with me, but please don't speak. These people will know something is wrong. I don't want them to know that you're not from around here." In our small town, everyone knows everyone else. I could not let the people that I knew find out that I had eight guys living with me.  
  
"Why can't they know where I am from?" asked Legolas.  
  
"'Cause they'd go crazy. Probably try to rip out your hair," I said, only half kidding.  
  
"That would not be pleasant."  
  
"No, it wouldn't. Now, let's go." We picked up our food, and I grabbed some ice cream, too, and we went to pay for everything. I was hoping my luck would hold out and I would not see anyone I knew. My luck ran out, though. There at the checkout stood Marie, the biggest flirt in town.  
  
"Hey Shelly," she said, bouncing up and down.  
  
"Hey Marie," I said. I may not like her, but I had to be polite.  
  
"Who's the guy?" she said, looking over at Legolas. I recognized that hungry glint in her eye. Even though I could hardly blame her in this instance, she had no business messing with him.  
  
"Hands off, Marie. He's mine. Keep your grubby hands to yourself."  
  
"Oh well..."  
  
"Charge to the camp. We gotta go, bye." I grabbed Legolas' hand and our bags and practically ran out the door.  
  
"What did you mean when you said that I was yours?" Legolas asked me once we were outside.  
  
"That girl was going to flirt with you, so I made her think that you were my boyfriend, that way she'd leave you alone."  
  
"Oh, well, thank you then, Shelly. But what's a boyfriend?"  
  
"I'll explain later," I told him, not wanting to have that conversation in front of Cody.  
  
"What happened?" asked Cody, grinning and looking at my hand. That's when I realized I was still holding Legolas' hand.  
  
"Oh, uh, Marie was working," I said, blushing and taking my hand out of his.  
  
"Yeah, sure," said Cody, grinning knowingly at me. We pulled out of the store, and after a few minutes of silence, Cody asked, "Can we introduce them to some music?" Then, before I could answer, Cody reached up to the front and turned on the radio.  
  
Shania Twain began blaring out of my speakers. Legolas began covering his ears, so I turned it off.  
  
"Cody, why did you do that? They don't have to hear music. Silence is fine, sometimes."  
  
"But not now, turn the radio on. You can turn it down a little if it bothers certain people." He looked over at Legolas.  
  
"Fine." I turned it back on just as the Shania song was ending.  
  
"What is this noise?" asked Legolas.  
  
"It's called country music. I'm not sure how to explain it, but it's a type of music. We have many types. I'll play some other types sometime, okay?"  
  
"All right, now what's a radio?"  
  
Cody and I explained about the radio and different types of music for the rest of the ride home.

A/N: Read and review, PLEASE!!! At least tell us if you think it's funny or not.  
  
A/N:


	10. Hospitality and Craziness

DISCLAIMER:

Authoress's Notes:

SARAH: Wow, there are a lot of cute character moments in this chappie. Boromir, Aragorn, Leggy, Pippin...plus you get to see how crazy I really can be.

MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

I like this chapter. Bon appetit!

Chapter Ten--Hospitality and Craziness

Sarah POV

Frodo had taken Merry's seat up next to me, and Sam sat right behind him in Legolas' spot.

"Okay, now, I called Shelly and we're all going to eat as soon as everyone is home. Any questions?"

"Yes, how did you talk to Shelly?" Frodo asked.

I sighed. Everything was new to them. I quickly explained the concept of regular telephones and then cell phones.

"They would be as useful as cars back in Middle-Earth," Mike said. "Sarah, can you imagine if the Council of Elrond had been one big video-conference?"

I cracked up. "Good one!"

"Ba-dum-bum-ching!" he said.

All the conversations were going on in the back seats and no one really had anything to say to me, so I got lost in thought for a moment. _In some ways I wish guys today were like the Fellowship. They listen, they're so polite...Frodo was so worried that I needed help putting the groceries in the car...wait. Don't even go there, Sarah. Don't read anything into it...but then, he did want to ride home with me...why? What reason..._

Frodo brought me back to my senses. "Why did you buy us so many clothes when we may not even be here tomorrow?"

It was at that moment that I realized that I didn't want to think of that possibility. "You could still be here six months from now for all we know. Prepare for the worst and hope for the best."

He didn't bother to ask which way was best and which was worst, and it was a good thing because I wasn't sure I could answer that at that moment. He looked out the window. "Surely it won't be that long...we WILL go back, won't we?"

If I told him I couldn't answer that, he might assume that the books went on to say that they spent their lives here in this time. I formulated my answer carefully. "Well, the books don't end with Moria, and that's all I'll say. But for all I know the books were only true up to this point in your quest, and the rest is made up. We're only keeping the ending from you in case you end up going right back where you were and the books ARE true. But surely you'll go back sooner or later. We just don't know how or when."

I couldn't read the emotions on his face at that moment, but I could tell he wasn't happy. I decided to lighten his mood. "What's the matter? Are you saying we're not hospitable enough? What? Was the bed lumpy? Don't you like the food? What is it?"

He looked at me, startled. "Oh, no, that's not it at all! I just--" He stopped, realizing that I was messing with his head. A smile tugged at his lips. "You were...joking," he said, remembering Shelly's use of the word that morning.

I nodded. "That would be correct. But seriously, everything's okay though, right? 'Cause you can tell me and Shelly if anything's wrong."

"No, everything's all right. My only fear right now is that staying with you is keeping us from our quest."

"You can't do anything about that," I said, "So there's no point in thinking about it. Why make things hard on yourself?"

He pondered that for a moment. "There's wisdom in that," he said.

I shrugged. "I guess. It just always made sense to me."

We soon arrived back at Shelly's house. The guys unloaded the bags quickly--I literally did not have a chance to grab even one bag because they were all concerned about being courteous--and I started sorting everything out.

"I'm putting all the clothes on the table, come get whatever's yours and put it with the rest of your stuff. It won't all be here 'cause some is in Shell's car, but get these off the table. If it's not yours but you know who it belongs to put it with their stuff," I said.

"Stuff?" Gimli questioned.

"Things, belongings," I said. "I know you each had a pack when you got here."

"They are each next to out sleeping spot," Boromir said.

I nodded. "Whatever. Just take them. Fold them carefully, don't wrinkle them, I don't want to iron them, okay?"

Boromir, eyes on me, took up one of his new pairs of jeans and held it over his arm like a maitre d' holds a towel, and turned ever so slowly to take it in the living room.

"Cute," I said, a hint of sarcasm in my tone. "You know what I mean."

He smiled and carried the jeans off normally.

"Do you not have an invention to iron as well?" Aragorn asked. "I thought that you had inventions for everything now."

I smiled. "Well, we've made the iron heat up without having to place it over a fire, and it stays at a constant temperature."

He nodded. "If not reinvented, then at least improved."

"Pretty much," I admitted.

Sam came over to the kitchen. "Can I help you put things away? Since we're in charge of cooking and all..."

"Sure," I shrugged. Within minutes we had everything sorted out, and then Shelly and the rest of the guys pulled up. We did the same thing with the rest of the groceries and clothes, and once the table was clear we started setting out plates for dinner. We put the pizza and burgers in the kitchen buffet-style and let everyone help themselves.

We all crowded around the table and the conversation was loud and funny.

"I don't suppose you have another leaf for the table?" I asked Shelly.

"If we do, I don't know where it is."

"Most tables have three, and there's only two here. Can I look around in the closets later?"

"Sure. That would help."

The Fellowship all seemed to like the burgers, to them they were just a hot, thick version of the sandwiches they'd had for lunch. The pizza was a different story.

"How is this eaten?" Legolas asked, remembering the banana.

I took a slice of the pepperoni. "Like this," I demonstrated.

"And you eat all of it?" he asked.

Shelly giggled. "Yes, Legolas."

"It's spicy," Mike warned.

Legolas tried it first and really seemed to like it, so everyone else followed suit. It went over big with everyone except Pippin.

"I think it would be better--" he started, but I cut him off.

"Wait right there!" I jumped up and ran into the kitchen and returned with a green mesh basket and a knife. I cut open the plastic wrapper and held the basket out for Pippin.

"Mushrooms!" he exclaimed.

I nodded. "I didn't forget. But they're not cheap so I want you to make them last, okay?"

He nodded gravely. I sliced a few of them and he put them on his pizza. He took another bite and his expression said he was in heaven. "Much better," he sighed happily.

I chuckled and cut up more mushrooms for the rest of the group.

After dinner, Cody and Mike offered to load the dishwasher, and Shelly and I gratefully accepted.

"I left the dryer running when we went to town," Shelly said. "Everything that's in it needs to be ironed."

"Darn it!" I exclaimed. "After I told everyone to be careful with their clothes. Oh well. What are the guys all going to do while we do that?"

"I can do it," Shelly said.

"Or I can run down to the main building real quick and get the iron from down there and we can both iron and be done twice as fast," I pointed out.

"All right. If you don't mind. I guess the guys could all watch a movie."

"Good idea. Hey guys!" I got everyone's attention. "Want to watch a movie that's NOT about you?"

A few did, the rest didn't care.

"Can we watch LXG?" Mike asked. "That is such a cool movie..."

Shelly and I looked at each other. "They wouldn't get that," I pointed out. "As far as they know, those books haven't even been written yet. Plus there's, you know..."

"Harker," we said in unison.

"Woman's wrath..." I said.

Shelly nodded. "Plus they need to watch something you can get without reading something."

"Not a chick flick!" Cody yelled.

"How about 'The Count of Monte Cristo'?" Shelly asked. Neither Mike nor Cody had any serious objections to that. They started the movie and Shelly and I headed for the laundry room.

There was a basket full of clean Fellowship clothes and the dryer was full, too. I started pulling them out into another basket while Shelly set up the ironing board.

"Okay, you get started ironing, I'll run and get the other iron and I'll be right back," I told her. I drove and was back quickly. Merry's golden vest was neatly folded and sitting atop the dryer and Shelly was working on Aragorn's shirt when I came in. I took Pippin's trousers out of the basket and started working at the other end of the ironing board.

"It's so weird to see them not wearing these," she said. "But kind of cool, too."

"The only reason you like the modern clothes is because Legolas ended up in the waiter shirt," I said teasingly. The thin black sweater Legolas was wearing belonged to Cody, who'd worn it to play a waiter in a skit at camp the summer before. A lot of girls had noticed what it did for Cody's looks, and it was even better on Legolas.

"Hey, you noticed too," she pointed out.

I nodded. "Um, yeah! I think he looks really good in black. I'm surprised Cody let him leave the room wearing it." I giggled.

Shelly giggled, too. "No joke. Especially as protective as he can be sometimes."

I shook my head. "Yeah. You know, this reminds me of some of the Lord of the Rings captions I've found. One of the jokes is the reason that Gandalf changed from Grey to White is that he switched laundry detergent brands."

Shelly laughed a little, but then got serious. "I wish we could tell them about Gandalf," she said. "It would be so much easier for them if they knew he was going to be all right."

"He battled the Balrog for quite a while," I said. "He may not even be dead yet, technically."

"No telling. Still, I want to tell them so bad. Especially Frodo."

"Mmm. There's a lot of things I would love to tell them right now. Like, I would love to spill to Frodo that he will survive everything, 'cause I think knowing that to begin with would make it easier to hold on to hope."

Shelly nodded. "And I think I'd like to tell Aragorn that they win all the battles."

"Or, better yet, that he does get the girl," I said, grinning.

She laughed at that. "And tell him and Gimli and Legolas that Merry and Pippin aren't burned up with the Uruk-Hai in The Two Towers. Or that Aragorn doesn't die when he falls over the cliff."

"I think I'd warn Boromir not to fight the Uruk-Hai. Especially since Merry and Pippin get captured anyway, and they get away all right."

"I think I'd tell him not to take the Ring!" Shelly said.

"Oh, come on. Galadriel did that, more or less, and it didn't do much good. Plus he came to his senses before he died. After Frodo and Sam leave, it wouldn't matter anyway, but he would have to attack Frodo to get Frodo to leave, and if Frodo hadn't left the group then the whole thing may have turned out differently..."

"Okay, okay. But still..."

"Yeah, I know," I said. "You know what's weird?"

"What?"

"It's actually kind of creepy to know this, and it just occurred to me, but..."

"But what?" Shelly asked.

"These are actually Boromir's last days. They spend a few weeks in Lothlórien and then a few days later he dies."

Shelly looked up at me. "Eww! Thanks! That's a really wonderful thing to think about!"

"Well, it's true, isn't it?"

"Still!"

I shrugged. I reached into the laundry basket to find something else to iron, and came across Pippin's scarf. Since a mood-lightener was in order, I pulled it out and put it on.

"Hey!" Shelly cried.

"What?" I asked innocently. "We went to all the trouble of washing them, we can have a little fun, anyway. Here." I picked Merry's vest up off the dryer and handed it to her.

"Wait. Where's Legolas' shirt?" she asked, setting the vest back down.

I smiled and pulled it out of my stack of finished clothes. "Here's the overtunic," I said, handing it to her. "And Frodo's jacket." I took it and put that on, too. Shelly slipped the shirt over her own. Since it was dark outside, the glass of the window served as a mirror and we surveyed ourselves.

"Stylin', very in," I said.

Shelly giggled. "We should dress completely in their clothes and go out there," she said.

"Seriously? You want to?"

"No way, they'd kill us! I was kidding."

"No, come on," I said. "Seriously. I will if you will. I won't do it alone."

She was laughing hard. "They might get mad," she said.

"If they do we can threaten to make them do their own laundry after this. Come on. I triple-dog-dare you." I grinned. "It'll be funny."

"Oh, all right. But it was your idea." We quickly mishmashed outfits that completely clashed and changed out of our own clothes. I had Boromir's long red shirt, Sam's pants (with a belt holding them onto my considerably smaller body), Frodo's jacket and Pippin's scarf. Shelly had Legolas' shirt, Aragorn's trousers, Merry's vest, and Frodo's green cloak.

I stuck my head out of the door, looking through the kitchen, carefully keeping everything below my neck out of sight. "Hey guys?"

"Yeah?" Cody asked from the end of the couch.

"Could you pause the movie for a minute?"

He did. "What is it? Shelly, did you shrink something?"

"NO!" she yelled.

I grinned. "We just thought that since the guys all have to wear clothes from our time, they might like to see what we'd look like in clothes from their time." I walked through the kitchen into the dining room, pulling Shelly by the arm.

Mike laughed first, shaking his head.

"Hey!" Cody cried.

The Fellowship wasn't sure what to think for a moment, but then, suddenly, Legolas stared to laugh, too. "You look HORRIBLE!" he said, pointing. "Simply AWFUL!" The funny bug gradually bit each of them and soon everyone was laughing.

"Remind me never to borrow your cloak, cousin," Merry told Frodo.

"Of course," Frodo said. "And Boromir, I won't loan you my jacket, either."

"Thank you," Boromir said. "I think it's better that way." He was wiping a tear from the corner of his eye from laughing so much.

Shelly, still giggling, tapped my shoulder. "I think the Middle-Earth fashion show should be over now," she said. We still have some stuff left to iron."

I nodded. "Okay, see ya later, guys."

We changed back and were done not too much later, so we were able to watch the final twenty minutes of the movie. Once it was over, it was just past ten, so Cody and Mike got ready to leave. The four of us stood out on the porch for a moment.

"Thanks again," Shelly said.

"No problem," Cody said. "Call us if they need to learn anything else from us guys." He and Mike weren't going to come out there the next day unless we needed them.

Shelly rolled her eyes. "Don't worry. I think we've covered everything."

"I hope so," I said. "I hate to think of what we might have forgotten."

"It'll be fine," Mike said. "We'll see you guys later."

We each hugged both of them and they went down the steps to Cody's convertible.

Shelly and I went back inside and found the Fellowship preparing for bed.

"Wait!" I cried. "No one is going to sleep yet! There is NO WAY I am getting up at five again! You're all staying up AT LEAST two more hours!"

Pippin walked out of Shelly's parents' room wearing black shorts and a snug blue t-shirt. "That's fine," he said.

I blinked. "You are, however, all allowed to change into whatever Cody and Mike got for you to sleep in," I said.

While everyone was changing Shelly and I started to pick a movie to watch with them.

A/N: Please review! Even if it's just to say you fainted at the thought of Leggy in smiley face boxers!


	11. Matters of Hearts

DISCLAIMER: We don't own LOTR, if we did, we wouldn't be writing this story.  
  
Authoress's Notes:  
  
SHELLY: This was one of my favorite chapters to write. Please review and let me know what you think about it. Thank you Laer4572 for your review. I loved the fashion show, too.  
  
Chapter Eleven--Matters of Hearts  
  
Shelly POV  
  
"How about this one?" Sarah asked me, holding up "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days."  
  
"I think the language would shock them, don't you?"  
  
"True," she said as we went back to looking.  
  
"What about this one?" I said, holding up "You've Got Mail."  
  
"They don't understand computers, let alone e-mail," Sarah said.  
  
"Yeah, let's keep looking."  
  
"Maybe this one," Sarah said, holding "While You Were Sleeping."  
  
"Nah, too much to explain. What about this one?" I said, holding the movie "Ever After."  
  
"They should understand most of that one," Sarah said.  
  
"Plus, we both love it," I said, grinning at her.  
  
"Okay, let's do it," Sarah agreed.  
  
"So what will we be watching?" asked Legolas. I turned to answer him, but my mouth dropped open. I quickly tapped Sarah on the shoulder. She turned around and her jaw was scraping the floor. Legolas stood there wearing a black muscle shirt and smiley face boxers. He looked absolutely drop-dead gorgeous.  
  
"Is something wrong, Shelly? Cody assured me that this was what everyone wore," Legolas said, concerned.  
  
_I'm either going to kill Cody or hug him._ "No, Legolas, you just surprised Sarah and I, that's all."  
  
"Shelly, aren't you going to tell him?"  
  
"Tell me what?" Poor Legolas, he didn't understand that most guys did not just go around in their boxers.  
  
"Just that you look more handsome than Orlando," I said, deciding I'd rather embarrass myself than him.  
  
"Thank you, Shelly. That is quite a compliment, coming from you."  
  
"Well, you're welcome. Hey, Sarah, I bought some ice cream at the store. Think we could let them sample some?"  
  
"Sure, but only a little. Who knows how the sugar will affect Merry and Pippin?" Sarah can be such a worrywart. They were fine so far, I highly doubted that the ice cream would hurt them too much. As Sarah and I made our way into the kitchen, Sarah's jaw dropped open again. I followed her eye and saw Frodo in plaid boxers and a black t-shirt. I couldn't help but grin. Boy, those guys sure did know us. As Sarah and I were putting ice cream in bowls, she looked at me wearing a goofy grin.  
  
"I'm not sure whether to kill Cody or to hug him," Sarah said, mirroring my thoughts from earlier.  
  
We giggled and got the ice cream. Sarah explained what it was and how to eat it, knowing the Fellowship would not be familiar with cold food, while I got the movie ready. After that, Sarah disappeared into the hallway and I heard the hall closet open. "Hey, Shell, the table leaf is in here!" she called. "I'm putting it in the dining room and we'll set it up later, okay?"  
  
"Sure! Great!" When I got up from adjusting the VCR, Gimli had claimed my father's recliner, Boromir had the rocking chair, Sam, Pippin, and Merry were on the loveseat, and Frodo, Legolas and Sarah were on the couch. Aragorn had tried to take the floor, but I brought out the office chair and insisted he sit there. I started to get another chair, but Legolas stopped me.  
  
"There's room for one more here, mellon," he said, motioning me between him and Frodo. How could I say no to that? So, I hit the play button and sat down on the couch with him.  
  
Ever After is one of my favorite movies. It's a Cinderella story set in France, only it's a lot more realistic than the Disney story, because there is no fairy godmother or pumpkin coach. Everything that happens in it really could have happened historically.  
  
Legolas seemed to truly understand what the Prince was going through. I imagined he had several girls playing for his affections the same way the Prince in the movie did.  
  
When it got to the scene where Danielle, the main character, uses a sword, I said, "Boy, do I wish I could do that."  
  
"Perhaps we can teach you, in return for all you've done for us," said Aragorn. "However, that would require our weapons." I think he was trying to drop a hint.  
  
"Do Middle-Earth women usually learn how to fight?" Sarah asked.  
  
"Many human women do," Boromir answered.  
  
"As do many elven women, although they usually prefer the bow," Legolas answered.  
  
"Many people believe there are no dwarf women," said Gimli, "But there are."  
  
"But, Master Dwarf, do they learn how to fight?" I asked, not wanting to hear about dwarf women. Gimli's reference to them in The Two Towers was quite enough.  
  
"Yes, lass. Some of our fiercest warriors are women. We just hide them well." Gimli seemed to begin thinking about someone after that. Unfortunately, I was not the only one who noticed.  
  
"Does the dwarf have a little female friend back home?" Legolas asked, almost laughing.  
  
"That's none of your concern, young prince," Gimli said, almost smiling.  
  
"Very well, dwarf, I'll leave you alone."  
  
Once the movie was over, Merry, Pippin, Sam, and surprisingly, Boromir began begging for more ice cream. Sarah seemed like she was going to cave and give them some. Before she could send them to beg me, I slipped out the back door and onto our porch. It's small, but there's a beautiful dogwood tree with branches actually leaning over the porch, and a bench to sit on. I looked up at the sky. The stars were so beautiful. I found myself sitting on the bench just looking at them and thanking God for the blessings I was receiving through the Fellowship. I had taken so many things for granted. It never occurred to me to be amazed at pictures or electricity before. I was even learning to treasure silence.  
  
I was actually nodding off to sleep when the door opened. Legolas came out and seemed surprised to see me outside.  
  
"Hello, Shelly," he said.  
  
"Hey, Legolas," I said, waking up and grinning. "It's a beautiful night, isn't it?" I noticed he had put on some pajama pants.  
  
"Yes, nature always amazes me." He looked up.  
  
"Do these stars look like the ones from Middle-Earth?" I asked.  
  
"Come here," he said, taking my hand and leading me to the railing. "These stars look very much like the ones I grew up looking at, yet, they are not. I am not sure if they are the same ones only older, or if they are completely different ones. I wish I could be certain, for then I would know if we are in the future of our world or if this is a different universe." He let out a small sigh.  
  
"You miss your home, don't you?" I asked, hoping his answer would be no.  
  
"Of course I do, Shelly. I miss my family very much." It hadn't occurred to me that he wasn't just missing Middle-Earth, but he had been missing his home in Mirkwood long before he showed up on my doorstep. He must have noticed the sadness in my eyes because he added, "However, I do not regret coming. I have met many amazing new people. First the Hobbits and Boromir and Gimli..."  
  
"So you think Gimli is amazing?"  
  
"Just don't tell him I said it," he said, laughing. Then, he grew serious once again. "Then, I meet four wonderful humans, two men that I would be glad to call friend and two of the most incredible women that could ever exist. If I had it all to do over again, I would still join the Fellowship." I hoped he couldn't see how much his comment meant to me.  
  
"Thank you, Legolas. I hope you know, Sarah and I feel the same way about all of you. We would do anything to help you."  
  
"I know, mellon."  
  
"Doesn't that mean friend?" I asked.  
  
"Yes. We are friends, aren't we?"  
  
"Of course, Legolas. No matter what, I always want you to think of me as your friend." _Not that I wouldn't be more if you asked me to be._  
  
"Thank you, Shelly." He turned to go. "Well, I'll leave you."  
  
"Don't go. Please, stay with me," I heard myself say. He turned and took my hand again. He looked into my eyes.  
  
"What about Frodo?" he asked.  
  
"What about him?" I said, confused.  
  
"Do you not see that he obviously cares for you?"  
  
That made me pause. I wasn't so sure about that. "No, he doesn't. He's grateful, but that's all. He may not realize, but all he feels is friendship."  
  
"Then, why did you not say something last night, when you were sitting on the swing?"  
  
He'd noticed that? I thought about it for a minute. "I wondered at first if my feelings were more than friendship, but they're not. He doesn't make me feel like..." I stopped myself. I had almost said "like you do." "Like I'm in love. He is just a close friend, more like a brother, really. I see that now. I'll make sure he knows how I feel tomorrow." Then, I got an idea. "Besides, I think he likes Sarah more than me. They would be perfect together, anyway. She is so compassionate and understanding," I said, with a small smile.  
  
"If that is so, why has Frodo been watching from the window since I came outside?"  
  
"He hasn't." I started to turn my head, but Legolas stopped me.  
  
"Don't look. It will only scare him away."  
  
"He is JUST like Allen," I said, sighing.  
  
"Who's Allen?"  
  
"He's like my big brother. He looks out for me, especially when I'm alone with a guy," I said, laughing.  
  
We stood there for a few minutes, looking at the sky.  
  
"I agree with you, by the way," he said suddenly.  
  
"About what?"  
  
"He and Sarah would be perfect together and he does care for her," he said, grinning at me.  
  
"We could make him realize what he feels for me, couldn't we?" I said, an evil plan already forming in my head.  
  
"What do you have in mind?"  
  
I quickly explained my idea to Legolas.  
  
"You are sure this will work?" Legolas asked, doubtfully.  
  
"Trust me. This will prove to him that I do not mean as much to him as he thinks I mean."  
  
"I wonder what he's thinking," Legolas said, a few minutes later.  
  
"Probably wondering what we're talking about," I said, glancing at my watch. "Gosh, we've been out here for over an hour. I guess we better put the plan into action, huh?"  
  
"I guess so..." And with that Legolas leaned in and brushed his lips over mine. I felt something I never felt before, something I should not be feeling for someone like Legolas, someone who wasn't even part of my own world.  
  
Then, Frodo was there. He pushed us apart and began yelling at Legolas.  
  
"Legolas, if only I had Sting, I would teach you how to act like a gentleman, but since I do not, my fists will have to suffice!"  
  
I looked at Legolas and saw the laughter he was holding in. Frodo looked over at me and saw I was holding back laughter, too.  
  
"See," I said, looking at Legolas, "I told you how he would react."  
  
"What do you speak of, Shelly?" Frodo said.  
  
"Shelly wanted you to realize how you feel about her, without her telling you." Then, Legolas looked at me, grinned, and went inside.  
  
"How do you feel about me, Frodo?" I asked, sitting down.  
  
"You make me feel things I've never felt before. I think I'm falling in love with you."  
  
"No, you're not, Frodo. You are grateful for what I've done, but thankfulness is not love," I told him.  
  
"It's more than thankfulness. Last night, on the front porch, I felt comfortable, and safe, and...something else."  
  
"Frodo, why did you run out here when you saw me with Legolas?"  
  
"I wanted to protect you," he answered, quickly.  
  
"From what? Was Legolas harming me? Was I trying to make him stop?"  
  
"No, but...I did not want harm to come to you because of my love for you," Frodo said, taking my hand into his.  
  
"Frodo, the love you're talking about is the love of a brother for a sister. You weren't jealous, you just didn't want to see me hurt. Don't you see that you and I could never be more than that? I look at you, Frodo Baggins, and I see someone that I love as a brother."  
  
"Could you never feel more for me than that? Not even with a little time?" he asked.  
  
"Frodo, I'm sorry..." Before I could finish, Frodo jumped up and ran into the house, slamming the door behind him. I watched him go and started to cry. I don't usually cry, but I cared so deeply for my friend that I hated hurting him. But I could not love him and he could not understand that. How could I show him? I continued to cry and suddenly, I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned to see Legolas. _Perfect, the gorgeous elf catches me crying my eyes out._  
  
"He did not believe you, mellon," Legolas asked, sitting down next to me and wrapping me into a hug.  
  
"No," I cried into Legolas' shirt, "I don't know what to do, Legolas. I want him to be happy, but he just doesn't understand that I don't love him. Why does he have to be so stubborn?"  
  
Legolas laughed a little at that. "Frodo is simply trying to come to terms with what he's just realized."  
  
"What happened when he went in?"  
  
"He told everyone good night and he and Sam went to their room," Legolas said, rubbing my back to calm me.  
  
"I hate having people mad at me," I said, beginning to calm down a little.  
  
"Arguments can make friendships stronger and better," Legolas said, wisely.  
  
_Of course he said it wisely, he is an elf. How else would he say it?_ "Legolas, why don't you tell me a story?" I asked, simply wanting to change the subject. "How about Beren and Lúthien?" I knew the story, but wanted to hear it.  
  
"Sarah said that you have already heard it."  
  
"Yes, but not from you."  
  
So he told me the story of Lúthien and Beren. His voice was so soft and deep, so comforting. When he finished I felt human enough to go back inside.  
  
When we walked in, Sarah began to glare at me. _She's probably just mad because I upset Frodo._ Then, I noticed Merry and Pippin standing on the table singing the drinking song again. I looked in their faces and realized that this was the effect that two bowls of ice cream had on them.  
  
"Okay, time for bed."  
  
"Awww, do we have to?" Merry asked, acting like a little kid.  
  
"Yes. Now, march." I did my best impression of my mother sending my little sister to bed.  
  
Surprisingly, soon everyone was in bed. I was ready before Sarah and she didn't wake me when she came in. I went to sleep the second my head hit the pillow and began dreaming of my kiss with Legolas.  
  
The next morning I woke up at 8:30, ready for a new day. When I woke up, Frodo and Legolas were already up.  
  
"Good morning," I said quietly, so I wouldn't wake Aragorn and Boromir.  
  
"Good morning, Shelly," said Legolas.  
  
Frodo looked up at me. "Shelly, could you and I go for a walk?"  
  
"Sure, Frodo." Soon he and I were walking around the campground.  
  
"Shelly, I'm sorry about last night. Sam and I talked it over and I felt awful. You were right. I don't love you as anything more than a brother."  
  
"You're forgiven, Frodo. I'm glad you understand. You just don't make me feel like someone else does," I said.  
  
"You mean Legolas?" Frodo said, with a grin.  
  
"FRODO, that is not what I mean. Besides, what about you and Sarah?"  
  
"What about us?"  
  
"Frodo, I'm not blind. I saw you holding her hand during the movie."  
  
"You saw that?" he asked, sheepishly.  
  
"Yes. Now, you have to make me a promise."  
  
"Of course. What is it?"  
  
"You have to promise to protect her feelings. You cannot hurt her, Frodo. She can't take it," I said.  
  
"What makes you think what I feel for her is any different than what I feel for you?"  
  
"Because I am not a fool, Frodo. I see the way you look at her, even if you don't realize it." _Plus, Sarah's already in love with the Frodo in the books, why not the real Frodo, too?_  
  
"I would never hurt Sarah. You know that."  
  
"Yeah, but I had to check. Seriously, she hasn't had it easy when it comes to guys. Be patient with her."  
  
"What happened?" Frodo asked.  
  
"No, if you hear about that you'll hear it from her. Now, let's get back to the house." We walked back, talking about everything and yet nothing at the same time. When we walked in the house, everyone was up. I saw Sarah sadly look towards Frodo and I. _Oh no, Sarah doesn't know that Frodo and I are just friends. She probably thinks that we patched up our fight from last night. Great, now she thinks one of her best friends is trying to steal the guy of her dreams._  
  
I realized I was just standing there with everyone looking at me, so I asked, "What do you guys want to do today?"  
  
A/N: Hope you liked it. R/R. 


	12. Clearing the Air

DISCLAIMER: I guess I should point out for once that we don't own Lord of the Rings or anything else we mention that's copyrighted. ANYTHING. If we did, we'd own the GameCube as well, and LotR would be a virtual reality game.  
  
Authoress's Notes:  
  
SARAH: Mwahahaha, Shelly is evil here. No. Not really, I just think she is. You gotta read it to get that...which is why you're here. Enjoy!  
  
SHELLY: If anyone can tell us who the best video game player out of the Fellowship actors is, Frodo and/or Legolas will hug you. And don't forget, R/R.  
  
Chapter Twelve--Clearing the Air  
  
Sarah POV  
  
I woke up around 8:45. Shelly was already up, apparently, because she wasn't in the room. I quickly dressed and fixed my hair and went out in the living room. Legolas, Gimli, Aragorn, and Boromir were all sitting in the living room talking.  
  
"Good morning. Where's Shell?" I asked quietly, not wanting to wake anyone who might still be asleep.  
  
"Good morning, Sarah. She and Frodo went for a walk," Legolas said blithely. "Everyone else is up but they're still getting dressed."  
  
"Ah." I nodded and headed for the kitchen before anyone else could say anything to me. I started making omelettes and I made more than my share of noise banging pans. I was upset. _Thanks, Shell._ It was one thing for nothing to happen between me and Frodo, but for something to happen between the two of them was quite another. I wasn't about to say anything, though, unless things got to the point where the story got screwed up.  
  
But what was with last night, anyway? She and Legolas had mysteriously disappeared onto the back porch the night before and Frodo had stood watching them. He went out and Legolas came back in. When Frodo came back in a few minutes later, he was clearly in a bad mood. He said good night, took Sam into the Hobbits' room, and I heard him raise his voice a few times. I don't know what was said but surely it was about Shelly.  
  
Don't get me wrong. I didn't mind Shelly having long, deep conversations with Legolas, but now she was out having those same conversations with Frodo. Clearly she liked Legolas much better, so why was she misleading Frodo AND betraying Legolas? She wasn't a flirt, or even boy-crazy. She never has been. Why was she all of a sudden turning into Nicky, chasing a new guy every week?  
  
And as if that all wasn't bad enough, she was playing on an already troubled mind--Frodo's. He had the Ring to contend with. How was he going to manage that with a broken heart? He was going to need all the hope he could find.  
  
Sam came into the kitchen just then and looked at me curiously. "What's the matter?" We'd been around each other so much in the kitchen that he could tell I wasn't myself.  
  
"Nothing I want to tell you," I said, harshly. He looked at me with hurt in his eyes and I softened. "Sorry, Sam, I'm not going to tell you anything right now, but I had no right to snap at you."  
  
"That's all right," he said. "What do you want me to do?"  
  
"Let's get the extra leaf put into the table, and then you can set the table for ten while I finish cooking," I said.  
  
It only took about five minutes to figure out the mechanism to put the leaf in the table, then everyone started gathering around as Sam set out the plates. He came back in the kitchen and spoke to me softly so no one else could hear. "You're upset at Shelly, aren't you?"  
  
I glared at him.  
  
Just then the door opened and Shelly and Frodo, the only two missing, walked in. I watched, trying to be emotionless. He held the door for her, and they were both smiling and in a good mood. I couldn't believe Shelly's audacity. I stared at her, and suddenly she realized that everyone had been waiting on them.  
  
"What do you guys want to do today?" she asked, trying to divert everyone's attention.  
  
"First of all, I want to eat," Gimli said. Sam and I started serving the omelettes and soon the table was loud with conversation. At least there was a little more room. Now Cody and Mike could sit at the table with us and no one would be crowded.  
  
I sat in my corner, Aragorn on one side and Merry on another, kept my eyes on my plate and held my tongue. _Breathe, Sarah._ Frodo and Shelly were sitting next to each other, and even though they had only taken the last empty chairs, I was still upset, and I knew that if I tried to talk it would show. I didn't want to spoil things for everyone else, I was the only one in a foul mood and the Fellowship didn't need me and Shelly to be at odds.  
  
By the time everyone was finished and putting their plates in the dishwasher, I had regained my composure. As long as Frodo and Shelly weren't openly affectionate, I would be okay.  
  
"Hey, Shell," I said, "Since we don't have that much to do today, how about we bring out your GameCube?"  
  
Her eyes lit up. "Smash Brothers Melee?" she asked.  
  
I nodded.  
  
"I'll start it, you get chairs."  
  
I brought four chairs from the table and lined them up in front of the TV.  
  
"What's a GameCube?" Merry finally asked.  
  
"It's a video game console," I explained. "A machine that lets you play video games." I waited for the next question.  
  
"What's a video game?" Pippin asked.  
  
"It's kind of like a movie," I said, "Except you have a controller and it lets you help determine what happens onscreen, and you play games that way."  
  
I got a lot of blank looks.  
  
"You kind of have to see it to understand," I said. "Shell and I will play so you can see."  
  
Shelly had it set up by then, so we entered the game and started beating the crud out of each other.  
  
"See, when I hold down this button," Shelly said, "My character builds up power, and then when I let go..."  
  
My character took a brutal attack from Shelly's. "Hey!" I cried. We went back and forth, but eventually I won. I couldn't help but think that it might be nice to try some of the battle moves on Shelly in real life.  
  
"Can I try it?" Frodo asked.  
  
"Sure!" Shelly plugged in another controller and restarted the game. "We'll go easy on you so that you can get the hang of it."  
  
_She's being polite. She's being polite. She's being polite,_ I told myself. Frodo sat in the empty chair next to me, leaving one between him and Shelly, and I held back my smile.  
  
We got into the battle, and Frodo just stared. "What do I do?"  
  
"The little stick moves you around," I said. "Try it."  
  
He pushed it left and right and watched the screen. "Oh, I see. How do you do the other stuff?"  
  
I showed him on mine. "These buttons, A, B, X, Y, Z, Left, and Right."  
  
"What about the small one?" he asked.  
  
"Don't hit start unless we tell you," Shelly warned. "It can mess up the game if you hit it at the wrong time."  
  
He nodded. "Which button does what?" he asked.  
  
"It doesn't really matter in this game," I said. "I just randomly press them and see what happens."  
  
Frodo took that bit of advice and started fighting me and Shelly. He beat us around pretty well and when time was called, he had actually won.  
  
"Well done, cousin!" Pippin said.  
  
"Might some more of us try that?" Legolas asked.  
  
"Sure!" Shelly said. We both gladly gave up our seats and soon Frodo, Legolas, Pippin, and Merry were all going against each other.  
  
"Who do you think will prevail?" Aragorn asked.  
  
"I place odds on the Elf," Boromir said.  
  
"Frodo won on his first attempt," Gimli pointed out.  
  
"That doesn't mean much in this game," Shelly said.  
  
"TIME!" the TV blared. We all looked toward the screen.  
  
"I won!" Merry said, half-surprised.  
  
"Can we do it again?" Legolas asked.  
  
"Sure," Shelly said. She walked over and leaned her arms on the back of Legolas' chair, explaining to them how to set up another round.  
  
For some reason, that bugged me. Not the fact that she was flirting with Legolas--if it wasn't for Frodo and how much I liked him I would have been flirting with Legolas, too--but the fact that she had been flirting with Frodo not too long before. I couldn't just stand there and watch. I went out on the front porch and walked down to the other end of it. I sat and dangled my legs off the side.  
  
It was getting warm out. It would be hot before noon. I hate hot weather, I'm more of a sledding-and-hot-chocolate kind of girl than a beach babe. I prefer sweaters to swimsuits, but being on that train of thought made me realize that we might all get to go swimming. I was just picturing Frodo without a shirt when someone opened the door and came outside.  
  
"Hey, Sarah." It was Shelly.  
  
I turned to face her, still dangling one leg, and she sat on the porch swing. "Hey. You're leaving them all alone in there?" I asked.  
  
"You should go back in and look at them. If they're not playing they're cheering or giving advice. I think they'll be okay by themselves for a few minutes, anyway."  
  
"Mmm."  
  
"Are you all right? You've been kind of quiet..."  
  
"I'm fine."  
  
"Are you sure? 'Cause you've barely said anything all morning, at least not to me."  
  
"I didn't know I was required to talk," I said tersely. _Oh, sure, Sarah, she won't pick up on your anger now._  
  
"Are you mad at me? Because I'd rather know about it than get the silent treatment."  
  
I don't know why I said what I said next. It popped out before I could think. "All right, fine, yes, I'm mad at you. You want to know why? Because you are not acting like the Shelly I knew just three days ago!"  
  
Shelly stared at me. "What?"  
  
"I saw Frodo come in last night. He was fine just standing in there, and then when he came back inside, he was really upset. He tried to hide it but he took Sam in his room with him and I heard them. I don't know what they said but they must have said it pretty loud. Who knows what you said to him to make him like that? Then this morning you come back from your walk all happy-happy-joy-joy and laugh and talk at breakfast. It's crazy."  
  
"Well, yeah. We went for a walk this morning so he could apologize to me."  
  
"He apologized to you? After you made him mad? That's just wrong! Plus you're turning into Nicky!" I accused.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Well, it's like, Frodo and the swing, and then Legolas and the magazine, then holding Frodo's hand during the movie, then hour-long talks with Legolas on the porch, then early-morning walks with Frodo. What are you thinking? Make up your mind!"  
  
Shelly started laughing.  
  
"What's so funny?"  
  
She shook her head. "Sarah, I'm not involved with either one of them. Frodo thought he wanted to be, but Legolas helped me make Frodo see that he and I are more like brother and sister. That's why he was upset last night, I told him I didn't care about him that way and it took him a little while to accept that. I feel for Frodo what I feel for Allen, only Allen gets annoying and Frodo doesn't. And as far as Legolas is concerned, we're just friends. He called me mellon."  
  
I bit my lip. "So you're not after Frodo?"  
  
"No. Not at all."  
  
I looked away. "I'm sorry, Shell. I saw you and Frodo and I just...I jumped to conclusions. Then you and Legolas...I was just mad because I thought you were leading them BOTH on." I looked back at her. "Forgive me?"  
  
"Of course. I was going to explain to you anyway, I knew you had it wrong about me and Frodo the minute I saw the look on your face this morning."  
  
"Sorry."  
  
"It's all right."  
  
I brightened. "Let's go back in. I have some leftover frustration from all that and I think kicking your butt on the GameCube might help vent that."  
  
The morning was spent playing around on the GameCube. By the time we were finished, Frodo turned out to be the really good one, with Merry, Pippin and Legolas not too far behind. Gimli never could get the hang of it and ended up cheering everyone except Legolas just to annoy him. Sam, Aragorn, and Boromir landed in the middle, good enough to not always come in last, but not good enough to always make first, either.  
  
Around 11:30 Sam and I retreated to the kitchen and set out sandwich stuff again.  
  
"Mushrooms this time," Pippin said dreamily.  
  
"It's all about the mushrooms with you, isn't it?" I asked.  
  
He nodded gravely, and I wasn't quite sure if he was jesting or not.  
  
As we all sat and ate, I noticed Frodo rubbing his shoulders against the back of his chair.  
  
"Are you all right?" Shelly asked.  
  
"Well, it's just...there's something about these new clothes that isn't as comfortable as Cody and Mike's clothes," Frodo said.  
  
"What is it?" I asked.  
  
"Well, all the new clothes came with these paper bits hanging on the inside," Frodo said.  
  
"Paper...? OH! You mean the tag!" I said, jumping up and going into the kitchen.  
  
"Tag? I suppose..."  
  
I got behind Frodo's chair. "Lean forward," I said, and he did. With scissors in hand, I reached down the back of his blue tye-dye shirt, snipped the plastic thread holding the tag on, pulled the tag out and handed it to him. I could have just pulled the tag out to cut it, but it wouldn't have been quite so nice. "The tags are supposed to be cut out," I said. "If anyone else has tags they need cut, the scissors are here, so get someone to do it for you."  
  
All through lunch I caught Frodo looking at me. He would look away as soon as I looked at him, but not two minutes later he'd be staring at me again. _What? Maybe I should have pulled the tag out to cut it._ Suddenly I was very conscious of the fact that I had blatantly flirted with Frodo and I had done it in front of everyone. Maybe he was thinking what a bold, forward girl I was. After that, I could barely look at him without a blush rising to my cheeks. Why had I done that? As nice as it had been to touch him, was it worth the embarrassment?  
  
_If you knew that he was going back this next instant, you'd have done it in front of a million people. Of course it was worth it._  
  
Lunch didn't last long because the guys were all wanting to play more Smash Brothers. Shelly and Aragorn loaded the dishwasher and I went to watch the guys play. Frodo got wrapped up in his game again and I was the silent spectator. That didn't bother me, I just hoped that I hadn't offended him or scared him. I would apologize to him later, when I could get him alone for a few moments.  
  
A/N: Ah. Yes. The Great Tag Incident. Please review! 


	13. Caught!

DISCLAIMER: We don't own LOTR, if we did, then the Tolkien family wouldn't.  
  
Authoress's Notes:  
  
SHELLY: Thanks banbie, we'd already thought of your suggestion though, but it won't happen for a few more chapters. This is a fun chapter. Enjoy, and please review, but don't forget flames will simply burn the Dauntless.  
  
Chapter Thirteen--Caught!  
  
Shelly POV  
  
The guys really loved the Nintendo. It was really funny to watch them play. Frodo was clearly the best, followed by Legolas. Gimli could never quite get it. Every once in a while you'd hear Pippin say, "Now, where's the X button again?"  
  
After we had eaten lunch, I could tell that they were getting tired of Smash Brothers.  
  
"What other games are there, Shelly?" Legolas turned to ask after he had won the game.  
  
"Well, actually, I don't have very many four-player games." Then, I remembered I had borrowed a James Bond game from a friend. Sarah and I both enjoyed killing each other with the many guns and grenades that the game would provide you with. I quickly whispered to Sarah that I had Bond and her eyes lit up. She said that she'd explain to them what guns were and then we'd show them how to play it. I set up the game and Sarah and I immediately started running to find a weapon. Once we did, the hunt was on. The guys started cheering us on. I'm a little better at the game than Sarah, so I found her and killed her, which meant I scored once. We played to five and I won. Soon, Frodo felt ready to try it.  
  
"Are there really weapons like these, Shelly?" Aragorn asked, as I got up to give Pippin a turn.  
  
"Unfortunately, yes, there are. They really do shoot and kill. This is just a game, though."  
  
"Wars must be very different than they are in Middle-Earth," Legolas said, thinking for a minute.  
  
"Yes, but with the advances in healing, fewer people die," I said. "If they get hurt it's easier to fix them."  
  
Aragorn, Gimli, Sam and Boromir were not very good at playing Bond, but the rest were okay, so those four started cheering the other four on. At about 4:30, the phone rang. I answered it before the Fellowship got distracted.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Hey, Shelly. This is Allen. Whatcha' doin'?"  
  
"Playing Nintendo," I said, only half-lying.  
  
"Playin' Bond again." He knows me so well.  
  
"Yep."  
  
"I've got to come out that way for church tonight, so I thought I'd bring out some food. What do you and Sarah want?"  
  
"Nothing, we had a big lunch. We're doing fine, so there is no need to stop by. We'll be okay," I said, trying to talk him out of stopping by.  
  
"Your mom told me to check on you and I'm bringing supper. So, either tell me what to bring or take what you get," Allen said in his big brother tone. Even I couldn't change his mind once he reached that point.  
  
"All right, Allen. Bring three large pepperoni pizzas. Make sure one has mushrooms, Sarah loves them."  
  
"Okay, but isn't three a lot?"  
  
"Yeah, but this way Sarah and I won't have to cook for a while," I said, hoping he was convinced.  
  
"All right, I should be there at about six. Is that all right?"  
  
"Yep, Allen, it is. So I'll see you at six. Bye."  
  
"Bye, lil' sis." As I hung up the phone, I tried to think of a place where we could hide everything. I got the clothes put in my room. Sarah and Sam started putting dishes away and the others started hiding their packs in either my room or their own. We got done relatively quickly. By 5:30, we were ready and waiting for Allen. The guys had gone back to their game when I heard the dog start barking. I told the guys to turn off the game and get in the back. Aragorn, Gimli, Sam, and Boromir obeyed. The rest were too wrapped up in the game to hear me. Suddenly, Allen was at the door. I opened it and he handed me the pizzas. I said thanks and tried to shut the door, but he was quicker than I thought.  
  
"Hey, come on. I wanted to beat you and Sarah at Bond once before I head to..." He trailed off when he saw Legolas and Frodo still sitting in front of the console with their eyes glued to the TV screen. Sarah had managed to drag Merry and Pippin away before Allen came in.  
  
"Who are those guys?" he asked, switching into full big-brother-way-overprotective mode.  
  
"What guys?" I was trying to switch into my innocent-little-sister mode, but Allen wouldn't allow it.  
  
"Now, none of that, Shelly. I want to know who these guys are and what they are doing here, and I want to know this minute."  
  
"Allen, they are none of your business."  
  
He continued to argue until we were interrupted by Frodo. "Shelly?"  
  
"Yes?" I asked, glad for the distraction.  
  
"You're right. I am like him."  
  
"You're not like me," Allen tried to argue.  
  
"Well, not in appearance, but in actions. You only wish to protect Shelly from harm, but we will not harm her. We are only friends. Right?" he said, looking at Legolas.  
  
"Correct," Legolas said.  
  
"How does that make me like you?" Allen asked, glaring at Frodo.  
  
"Because all he wants to do is protect her, you big dork," Sarah said, glaring at Allen for glaring at Frodo.  
  
Allen started to give in. "Fine, what are your friends' names?"  
  
"Um, this one," I said, pointing at Frodo and thinking quickly, "is Orlando, and this one," I indicated Legolas, "is Elijah." _Phew, good one, Shelly. Now, he'll never realize who they are,_ I sarcastically told myself.  
  
"Why do those names sound so familiar?" Allen said, trying to figure out where he'd heard them before. I had only mentioned the actors to him about fifty million times.  
  
"Um, they graduated with me. That's probably it."  
  
"Yeah, that's it. Well, I gotta go." I followed him out to the porch. "Shelly," he said, "I'm stopping back by tomorrow and those guys had better not be here again. I won't say anything to your mom, but if she knew..."  
  
I cut him off. "I know I'd be dead. See ya tomorrow, Allen."  
  
He waved and hopped into his truck, then, drove off.  
  
I came back into the house and Sarah had let the Fellowship out.  
  
"Shelly?" Frodo asked.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Your friend Allen thought that Legolas and I were guys from your time."  
  
I nodded. "Yes, I know."  
  
"You said that if anyone knew that we were not from your time, it would be a problem, but he thought that we were from this time. So why do we need to keep hiding?"  
  
Sarah sighed. "Because two girls and eight guys alone in a house with no parents is not a normal situation," she said. "My parents and Shell's parents think that it's just me and her. If they knew you were all here, I would be home, Shelly would be on a plane to be where her parents are, and you would likely all be sitting in jail. Or a homeless shelter, anyway. Whatever."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because, Frodo..." I tried to think of how to explain it. "Would Farmer Cotton let Rosie move in at your house?"  
  
"Well, no...but maybe if she brought one of her sisters with her, and they were working for me..."  
  
"So you're saying so long as there's two girls, it's okay?" Sarah asked him.  
  
"Well...more acceptable. But never one girl alone," Frodo said.  
  
"Well, it's kind of like that now," I said, "but the rule is there has to be one parent around."  
  
Frodo nodded. "What about Gimli?" he asked.  
  
"What about him?" Sarah asked.  
  
"He's old enough, he could be a...a..."  
  
"Chaperon," Sarah supplied. "Escort. Guard."  
  
Frodo nodded.  
  
"Yeah," I said, "He's old enough, but my parents and Allen don't know him. Just trust me, it'd be better if Allen didn't see you again. The only reason Cody and Mike know about you is that we needed their help, plus they're slightly more rational than Allen."  
  
The rest of the night was uneventful. The guys played Nintendo till about midnight, eating in front of the TV, then we all headed for bed. All of us except for Sarah and Frodo, that is. I heard Sarah ask him if she could talk to him for a minute. I wondered if she was going to talk to him about the shirt incident. Honestly, Sarah is not that much of a flirt, but he is a gorgeous Hobbit. Who knows? Maybe if Legolas wasn't here, I'd still be debating on my feelings for him. Thank goodness for Legolas, 'cause Sarah would rip my heart out and stomp on it to keep Frodo. I decided to stay awake until Sarah came in, so I went to my bookshelf and grabbed "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" and began reading.  
  
A/N: UH-OH, now we're CAUGHT!!! What will happen, but more importantly, what are Sarah and Frodo talking about??? 


	14. Clearing the Air Again

DISCLAIMER: We don't own Lord of the Rings. If we did, Merry and Pippin would have had more funny scenes.  
  
Authoress's Notes:  
  
SARAH: Now you get to delve into the deep, dark secrets of my past...really, it's not that exciting, but that's the point. Bon appetit.  
  
Chapter Fourteen--Clearing the Air Again  
  
Sarah POV  
  
The one thing I had feared about having the Fellowship around had come true--Shelly and I had been caught. I thought that Allen had let us off pretty easily. I was just glad that he trusted Shelly so much--otherwise he may not have been so nice to Frodo and Legolas. We had to be extremely careful from now on--if he caught any of the guys there again, he would probably call Shelly's mom. The trick was to keep him from catching them.  
  
Once he left and the panicky moment was over, things normalized pretty quickly. The guys went back to their game, we attacked the pizzas, nothing else really happened.  
  
Around midnight the game started winding down and everyone went to get ready for bed. I knew I had to clear up whatever was going on with Frodo, so I caught him by the shoulder before he left the living room.  
  
"Can I talk to you for a minute?"  
  
"Sure. What is it, Sarah?"  
  
I looked around. The hide-a-bed had been pulled out for the night (we folded it away in the mornings after breakfast) and Boromir was already stretched out on his side. "Um...can we go outside?" I asked.  
  
"Of course." Frodo started to head for the back porch.  
  
"No, this way." I led him onto the front porch. "I know the back porch is nicer, but we would have had to walk all the way around Aragorn and Boromir's bed when we came back in. We're less likely to wake them up this way," I explained, sitting on the porch swing.  
  
Frodo nodded. He leaned his back against one of the posts holding up the porch roof, facing me. "Now, what did you wish to speak with me about?"  
  
"Um...well...you know, you kept staring at me at lunch, and I got to thinking about it, and I figured it was the whole...tag...thing...I'm sorry if I embarrassed you, or offended you, or whatever."  
  
"Oh, that," he said. "It didn't bother me."  
  
"Then why were you staring at me? And don't say you weren't 'cause I totally caught you. More than once."  
  
Frodo looked away, almost like he couldn't meet my gaze. "I don't know...I was distracted, I guess. Something Shelly said about you this morning."  
  
"And what was it that she said?" I asked, suddenly on edge.  
  
"Just that apparently you've had trouble with guys."  
  
"Oh, that. What did she tell you?"  
  
He finally met my gaze again. "That was it. She said that if I found out it would be from you. Anyway, I guess at lunch I was watching you laugh and talk with everyone and I couldn't figure out what she thought the problem was."  
  
"It's not just guys, Frodo. I don't have problems with guy friends. I just have problems with boyfriends."  
  
"What's the difference?"  
  
I sighed. "A boyfriend--or a girlfriend, as the case may be--is...ah..." I tried to think of what they would call it in Middle-Earth. "The one you're courting."  
  
"But surely you're not old enough to have been courting," he said.  
  
"We call it dating now, or going out, and people start a lot younger, long before they're ready to get married. It's just for fun at first, to get to know someone. Then as a person gets older they may go in more for trying to find someone to marry. People almost never marry the first person they date anymore."  
  
Frodo nodded. "So you've dated?"  
  
"Well...I've had a boyfriend, sort of, yes, and I've been on one date. But nothing really serious." _Just serious enough to get burned._ I really didn't want to get into the details so I tried to keep him on dating practices of the modern teen and off of my personal experience.  
  
"And you've had problems with boyfriends?"  
  
I sighed. "Do you really want all the gory details?" I asked. "I'll tell you if you want to know."  
  
"If it's not too hard on you..."  
  
"Fine," I said. He came and sat on the other end of the swing and I turned to face him. "The first guy I ever went out with dumped me for another girl, but neglected to inform me that we had broken up until one of my friends started teasing him about us. That wasn't so huge, I was over that fast, I was only like eleven or twelve at the time. I'm glad it happened then instead of later, he turned out to be a real jerk when he got older."  
  
"Jerk?"  
  
"Um...scoundrel."  
  
"Ah." Frodo nodded. "I think that hurting you would make him a scoundrel no matter what else he did later on."  
  
I smiled. "Thank you. That's really sweet."  
  
"Well, it's true. But anyway, go on."  
  
"Oh, yeah. The second guy I went out with, well, that lasted longer and better and all, I was more mature by then, about fourteen. I really thought things were going to work out that time. The thing is--when we started going out, we saw each other twice a week at church. Then my family changed churches, and we lost contact. I could barely ever get ahold of him if I tried to call, he wouldn't answer my e-mails--that's messages sent by computer--and he made no effort to call me. Finally I just got so frustrated that I gave up."  
  
"Understandably."  
  
"I hear about him once in a while and I'm glad that didn't work out. He's going a completely different direction with his life than I want to go with mine."  
  
"What does that mean?" Frodo asked.  
  
"Well, he's in the military, and I don't think I could handle being with a military man. You never know when he's going to be killed in the line of duty, plus you end up being apart so much..."  
  
"Mmm."  
  
"Anyway, I'm getting off track. The third guy in my life--and the last, there have only been three--quite simply never liked me."  
  
"Then why did you go out with him?"  
  
I sighed. "That's the catch--I didn't. I just...I fell in love with him, but when I told him he said he only liked me as a friend and didn't want to be more. So I just had to deal with that. We're friends, and that's it."  
  
"Do you still care about him?"  
  
"He'll always be a friend of mine. And...well, I think I'll care about him until someone else comes and sweeps me off my feet, makes me forget that I ever cared about anyone else. After that experience, I just decided to wait for someone to find me instead of getting my heart stomped on over and over again looking for Mr. Right." I couldn't tell Frodo this, but I thought of myself like Éowyn, still caring for Aragorn, not knowing that Faramir was just around the corner.  
  
Frodo didn't say anything for a while. We just sat in silence for a few moments.  
  
At last he spoke. "These scoundrels you've talked about...it's not Cody or Mike, is it?"  
  
"No! Good gravy train, no! I would never go out with either one of them."  
  
"They're nice guys," Frodo pointed out.  
  
I sighed. "Yeah, but Mike's two years younger than me, and and I are too much alike, much as I hate to admit it. We're both really stubborn. We'd argue and kill each other."  
  
Frodo laughed. "Yes, I can imagine that happening." He yawned suddenly. "It's getting late," he pointed out.  
  
"Yeah," I said, standing. "I should let you get to bed."  
  
He got up and we walked to the door, which he politely opened for me. "See you in the morning," I whispered, not wanting to wake anyone inside.  
  
"Right," he whispered back. "Good night."  
  
"'Night."  
  
Shelly was rereading "Return of the King" when I finally crawled into bed.  
  
"You and Frodo were on the porch for quite a while," she said.  
  
"You and Legolas were last night, and you're just friends," I said.  
  
"Nothing interesting happened?" she asked.  
  
"Of course not. He doesn't think of me that way. I just thought that maybe I embarrassed him with the whole tag thing and I wanted to be sure we were okay."  
  
"Right." Shelly rolled over and turned off the light.  
  
"Really. That's all I wanted to say to him. He was the one that started in askng questions and all."  
  
Shelly laughed softly at that.  
  
"What?" I asked.  
  
"Nothing," she said. She mumbled something after that, I wasn't exactly sure what she said, but I was too tired to care. It sounded vaguely like "Go Frodo" but I was sure that I'd heard wrong.  
  
As I started drifting off to sleep, I wondered exactly why he had started asking me questions. While my rational mind was in control I couldn't think of anything, but once I fell asleep I dreamt of Frodo sweeping me off my feet and riding off into the sunset with him.  
  
It was the best dream I'd had in a long, long time.  
  
A/N: Review and you might have sweet dreams, too. 


	15. Dodging Allen

DISCLAIMER:We don't own LOTR, if we did I'd have Legolas tied and gagged in a closet somewhere.  
  
Authoress's Notes:  
  
SHELLY: Ok, here's the next chapter. MORE GAMECUBE and more Legolas. Read and Review, but remember flames are only thrown into Mt. Doom.  
  
Chapter Fifteen--Dodging Allen  
  
Shelly POV  
  
The next morning, Sarah and I were the last ones up. I volunteered to do the breakfast dishes and Frodo agreed to help me.  
  
"So, I heard you and Sarah had a talk last night," I said, putting up a dish or two.  
  
"Yes," said Frodo, "You were right. I'm glad that she was the one to tell me instead of you."  
  
We finished the dishes in silence. The whole time my evil brain was trying to think of a way to get Sarah and Frodo to admit their feelings.  
  
While Frodo and I were doing dishes, Sarah had taught everyone else how to turn on the TV. She showed them how to work the remote control and everything, too. After that, she went to do some laundry. When I went into the living room, Legolas had the remote and was watching a snowboarding contest very intently.  
  
"I wish I could do that, Shelly. It appears to be great fun," he said. Suddenly, the image of Legolas sliding down the stairs at Helm's Deep appeared in my mind. _You'll get your chance, Legolas. Just wait._ As the morning went by, the whole group appeared to be rather sad.  
  
"What's the matter with everyone?" I asked Frodo.  
  
"I believe we are all just missing home a little bit today. That is all," he said, with a touch of melancholy in his voice.  
  
At that exact moment, Cody and Mike showed up. "Hey guys," Sarah said as they walked in.  
  
"Hey, how did everything go yesterday?" Cody asked.  
  
"Except for when Allen stopped by, everything went great," I answered.  
  
"Uh-oh, what did he say?"  
  
"Well, he couldn't say much, since we were able to hide everyone but Frodo and Legolas. They were too wrapped up in Bond to notice when we said to move." I turned and saw the two of them look sheepishly at each other.  
  
"You taught them how to play Nintendo without us?" Mike said, a little disappointedly.  
  
"Yes, Mike. We did. Why don't you go and challenge Frodo and Legolas to Smash Brothers or Bond?" Mike thought he was the best at every Nintendo game. I couldn't wait for Frodo and Legolas to take him down a few notches. As Mike walked off to play, I turned to Cody.  
  
"Cody, Allen said he'd be back today to check on us and make sure that there were no guys here. If it weren't for church, he would have stayed until Frodo and Legolas left. By the way, I introduced Legolas as Elijah and Frodo as Orlando. Allen wanted to know their names and I didn't know what to tell him."  
  
"Why those names?" Poor Cody, he seemed so confused.  
  
"'Cause Elijah Wood plays Frodo and Orlando Bloom plays Legolas. It would be too obvious if I called Frodo Elijah and Legolas Orlando. Allen partially recognized the names anyway, so I said they graduated with us."  
  
"NNNNNOOOOOOOOOO," yelled Mike. "Let's go, Cody. I don't like to be beaten by a Hobbit." He stormed by and went out of the house. I looked at the TV and sure enough, Frodo had beaten Mike. According to the screen, Frodo had killed Mike seven out of ten times. "I don't get it!" Mike whined. "I beat this game in just three hours at home!"  
  
"Good job, Frodo," said Sarah, "Mike needed to have the air let out of his head."  
  
I snickered at that. "Anyway, Cody, back to what I was about to ask. Could you take the guys to Blue Hole until Allen leaves? If he shows up and they're here, who knows what he'll do?" I said. Blue Hole is a point on the Buffalo River open for swimming.  
  
Cody appeared to be thinking very hard about it. Then, an idea hit me. "What if Sarah and I cook some lunch down there for you?" I knew the way to Cody's heart was through his stomach.  
  
Cody immediately grinned and said, "Will you bring burgers and hot dogs and fish and anything else that you could possibly throw on a grill?"  
  
"If you pick them up, someone will cook them. Now, please? I really need ya'll to get out of here soon. Allen never said when he'd show up and he might get here any second." Cody agreed just as Mike came back in.  
  
"Okay, Frodo, me and you, one more time." Mike sat down and picked up a controller.  
  
"Mike," Cody said, "we have to go. You can play some other time."  
  
"NO, I WILL BEAT HIM NOW!!!"  
  
"Okay," I said, "One quick game to five, while Sarah and I make sure everything else is ready." Sarah began to tell the others to put on the swimming trunks we bought them. While she was telling them where they were going, I turned and noticed Mike pause his game and enter a cheat code. It was the one for immortality. I giggled, quietly, hoping no one would notice.  
  
My hope was dashed, however, when Legolas snuck up behind me and whispered, "What's so funny, mellon?" I almost screamed, but stopped myself in time.  
  
"Legolas, stop sneaking up on me. You almost gave me a heart attack." He lifted one of his gorgeous eyebrows at me and I realized he didn't have a clue what I meant by heart attack. "You just frightened me," I tried to explain. Then, I dropped my voice to a whisper I knew only he could hear. "Mike made himself invincible."  
  
Legolas looked at me and appeared to be holding back laughter as well. "You mean, Frodo will not be able to kill him?" he asked in the same quiet whisper next to my ear.  
  
"Yes, my dear Legolas, that is exactly what I mean," I said, grinning at him.  
  
About that time, I heard Frodo ask, "How many times must I shoot you in order to kill you?" Then, I heard Mike's triumphant scream. Finally, he had won.  
  
"Now, you guys get out of here. Cody is waiting. You guys are going to ride in the back of the truck." Luckily for Sarah and I, Cody had brought his dad's pickup truck with him that day, so everyone piled in the back of the truck. Then, Sarah and I watched them drive off. I looked at Sarah and saw a tear in her eye.  
  
"Sarah, they'll only be gone for a few hours. DUH!!!"  
  
She giggled. "I know, I know, it's just all of a sudden I feel very...motherly." She grinned. "They grow up so fast."  
  
"You dork," I said, rolling my eyes--although I couldn't help but smile, too. I turned around and headed back inside.  
  
About twenty minutes later, Allen pulled up. "Heya Shelly, whatcha doin'," he said in one of his dorkiest voices.  
  
"Just watchin' TV, Allen." I hated that voice. Normally, I wanted to strangle him when he used it. "Wanna play some Bond?"  
  
"Of course. Where's Sarah?"  
  
"She's in my room. I'll get her." I started to get up.  
  
"No," said Allen, "let me." With that, he opened my door and got Sarah. Then, he went to my sister's room and opened the door, and finally, he went to my parent's room and searched it.  
  
"They aren't here, Allen," said Sarah, sweetly, "You told us they couldn't stay, so they're gone." She laid the sugar on sarcastically thick to hide her annoyance.  
  
Allen frowned. "Fine, let's play some Bond." So for the next thirty minutes, we played Nintendo with him. At last he said, "Well, girls, I gotta go. I have to be at work in an hour. Tell Cody and Mike I said hi and I'll see ya'll on Sunday."  
  
"Bye, Allen," Sarah and I said in unison.  
  
The second his car was out of sight, Sarah and I ran and put on our bathing suits. We jumped into Sarah's van and, finally, headed down to the river.  
  
A/N: Take me to the River. R/R 


	16. Two Nice Conversations

DISCLAIMER: We do not own Lord of the Rings. If we did, there would be a widely available clothing line based on the costumes.

Authoress's Notes:

SARAH: This is one of my favorite chapters of mine, really. Besides the two nice conversations that the chapter is named for, you also really see a bit of what my character is about--the drawing really comes into play for the first time and all.

Let me again shamelessly plug the "Fans of Taurnlaide and Tarien" yahoogroup. If you join you get access to my illustrations of the story (you can see what these OCs look like) and polls about the story. And LotR-related pics. And eventually there will be stuff like deleted/revised scenes, once more of the actual story is up here. It's free to join, and all the information is in our profile (click our name at the top of this page). PLEASE join!!!

Anyways...on to REVIEW RESPONSES! If I missed you (quite possible, screwy as my laptop has been of late), feel free to smack me with a fish in your next review and I'll catch you next time, k?

Laer4572--Thanks for reviewing so regularly! --passes out brownie points-- To respond to everything all at once--Yeah, life kinda sucks that way. Hope you keep looking forward to it as more chapters come along! Was the old-fashioned clothes thing really that funny? I laughed insanely as I wrote it but I was really afraid it would be all flat to other people! Thanks! The thank-you card for Cody is on its way. Yeah...I DID get to touch skin. Go me! And, yes, Frodo/Elijah is the best PS2 player. Shelly and I decided that the character's ability to play would be based on the actors. Yes, busted! It had to happen sooner or later! And don't expect that to be the last Elf hearing gag. - Keep him? You mean Frodo? Oh, yes, I'd definitely like to catch hold of him and put keep in my room so he would always be there whenever...um...so I have someone to complain to when Shelly is slow about getting chapters back to me, right! OMG--our story is so good we made you LATE? I'm very flattered, but don't let us get you in trouble! It'll always be here when you get back!

Navaer Lalaith--Shelly and I made the executive decision from the beginning to make the Common Tongue/Westron pretty much the same as old-fashioned English. That way there's not too much of a language barrier, with the exception of the slang common to each set of characters (a good example of that is the whole "pool" thing when we first clean up the campgrounds). It would have greatly slowed down the story to have that to work around as well. (PS--I LOVE the name Lalaith, and I used it for the heroine of my Legomance, which, if you want, you can find via our profile--the story is called by the same name.)

nilimade--We're trying to make it once a week at least, as long as there are no technical difficulties where we're writing!

Kat1280--Yes, Merry and Pip hyper on ice cream was just too kawaii NOT to put in here. Hope you keep enjoying it!

banbie--The nice thing about video games is no matter how nonviolent you are, it's still fun to beat the crud out of each other onscreen. But you're right, Frodo is very nonviolent, during the Scouring of the Shire he was very against any Hobbits being killed. And as Shelly told you, the caffeine will come into play sooner or later. Okay, gonna let you go now--I think you have enough problems with the Balrog and I'd rather not be around to see how that one works out.

evalyne--Glad you're loving it! Hope we continue to please! And yeah, we have an IGA here--over Shelly's way, anyway. We used to have one an hour over the other way but it went out of business. Enjoy the update!

frodofreak88--Change the number to 86 and that could be ME! Hehehe. Chicken of doom? You know, I'm scared of NORMAL chickens! (Long story...I got pecked by a rooster when I was little and I've never been the same since...explains a lot, don't it?) So anyway, please keep it locked up! Here's your update!!

Danielle--SQUEE! 'Tis Shelly's friend! You know what? You're evil. We're going to get along great. More layers...gotcha. I think as the story unfolds that comes into play. (Right, Shelly? Ah, Shelly...?) I never noticed 14 was short, but you're right...call it compensating for the times I go way, way over the "average." And, yeah, I suppose the typical girl would have maybe started wondering if he liked her but that's the point--this is ME we're talking about. That whole past history was pretty much a true story and it's affected the way I think. (Layers, see? ) Just keep posting, eh? But if I do that then there may come a day when, yeah, you've gotten a chapter every day for weeks and weeks but then we'll have to be all, "Sorry, but you'll have to wait three weeks because we're so busy we can't write." Whereas if we slow it down a little then that doesn't happen. But Shelly tells me you already read up to--well, no, that's a huge spoiler for everyone else. But still! --poke-- Say hi to Shelly for me!

lea--Shelly gave me strict instructions to tell you (her exact words): "HANDS OFF! MINE!" That being said, thanks for the kind words! Don't hurt yourself falling out of that chair! The nice thing about Leggy in swim trunks (and WET, no less!) would be that you wouldn't have to die--you'd already be in Heaven! But enough of me drooling over Shelly's man--it's time for everyone to read about MY man wet and shirtless! Enjoy!

Chapter Sixteen--Two Nice Conversations  
Sarah POV

Although I had been on the Buffalo River at several different points, I had never been to Blue Hole before. Shelly told me which way to go and we soon joined the guys.  
  
Miracle of miracles, we were the only ones there. I guess since it was the middle of the day on a weekday everyone else had better things to do.  
  
Shelly immediately dove in with the guys and started swimming. Most of the guys were out in the water, but Gimli--who was wearing a t-shirt with his trunks--was just sitting in the shallow part, letting the cool water flow over him, and Sam was sitting on the shore. Either he dried quickly or he'd never gotten wet.  
  
The main entertainment was the rope swing. It was a rope tied to a tree branch that hung out over the water. You grasped it from an overhanging rock, held onto the end, swung out over the water, and then when you were all the way out, you let go and fell into the water. Everyone who was swimming seemed to be taking turns doing that. I laughed as I watched even Aragorn lighten up a little and have fun.  
  
I didn't really want to swim, but it was too hot to stay dry. I spread a towel next to Sam and left my bag on it, then went under the water to get my hair wet, then came back and sat down next to Sam.  
  
"You don't need to keep me company, Sarah," he said.  
  
"I'm not," I said. "I'm not that much of a swimmer. I mean, I CAN, I know how, I just don't really enjoy it." I rummaged through my bag and found what I was looking for--my clipboard full of blank white paper.  
  
"What are you doing?" Sam asked.  
  
"I'm going to draw," I said. "I haven't had a chance since the night before you all showed up, and my fingers are literally starting to itch." I pulled out a smaller bag that contained sharpened pencils and selected one to start sketching with.  
  
"Are you going to draw the river? It's beautiful."  
  
"It is beautiful, but I don't like drawing scenery half so much as I like drawing people," I said. "And since you're all here for me to study as I work, I'm not going to waste this opportunity." I put in a few lines that quickly began to resemble Sam.  
  
"Is that me?" he asked.  
  
I nodded. "I'll put the whole group in this one," I said. "Since you're right here, I started with you." I was planning on drawing a picture of all eight of the guys in modern clothes, surrounding and sitting on Shelly's couch. I had placed Sam all the way on the right end of the couch, and without getting too detailed, I started blocking in everyone else just to get the spaces and proportions right. "I'll put the fine detail in later," I told Sam. "When I can study everyone closeup, like when they're playing video games or something." I set the page aside and started on a fresh one, depicting the current scene. I drew Sam and I from behind and everyone else out in the distance exactly as they were in front of me now, with Gimli in the shallows and most everyone in the water, except Legolas, Pippin, and Cody who were lined up on the outcropping waiting to swing, and Frodo just letting go of the rope.  
  
"That's pretty," Sam said.  
  
"Thanks. It'll be better with the color on it and all," I said. "And I think it's ready for that, now." I set down my normal pencil and dug in my bag for my box of colored ones. I started putting the bright blue in the sky that reminded me of Frodo's eyes.  
  
I had just finished the last bit of blue and was starting on some of the trees when Shelly approached us. "Hey, Sarah, the guys are starting to get hungry, they said that the food is in the truck." I think Sam was happy to have something to do, because he almost ran for the truck.  
  
About an hour later, Sam and I were setting paper-plate places at two picnic tables. We would never all fit at one. It ended up that me, Shelly, Legolas, Gimli, Sam, and Frodo were at one table, and Mike, Merry, Pippin, Boromir, Aragorn, and Cody were at the other. I have to admit it was really distracting, being in such close proximity to so many wet, shirtless guys. Frodo was right acoss from me, and Shelly was next to Legolas. It's a wonder that nothing was spilled or dropped.  
  
"I'd like to thank you, Shelly, for thinking of this," Legolas said. "I don't feel so homesick now."  
  
"Not a problem," Shelly said. "It was as much to avoid Allen as it was for you guys. I'm glad you enjoyed it, though."  
  
"It's been so long since I've been swimming," Frodo said. "I didn't get to go so often once I moved in with Uncle Bilbo." He had apparently taken full advantage of the opportunity that day--I could clearly see the wrinkles in his fingertips.  
  
"That's right," I said, "You grew up in Buckland, too."  
  
He nodded. "My mother was a Brandybuck. Merry and Pippin are both second cousins of mine, and they were around as often as not. We were all three together very often...and causing more trouble than I'd care to admit. But it was never my idea."  
  
I smiled. We were wrapped up in our own conversation at our end of the table. "You moved to Bag End when you were twenty-one, right?"  
  
He nodded.  
  
"And you'd been an orphan nine years, right?"  
  
He nodded again. "How do you know all this?"  
  
"You forget, you don't know much about me, but I have three whole books about you that I've been studying for three or four years."  
  
"Right. That's kind of strange."  
  
"I'm sorry, if I'm creeping you out I can stop, seriously."  
  
He shook his head. "No, not at all. Keep asking me."  
  
I rechecked the numbers in my head. "So you've been living in Bag End almost thirty years?" I asked.  
  
"No, not at all. I'm only thirty-four."  
  
That was news to me. "How is that possible? The books say that seventeen years passed between when Gandalf told you of the Ring and when you set out for Bree."  
  
"You're the one that said that Tolkien may not have it all completely correct. Remember, you're just not telling us the end in case he happens to be right?" He smiled at me teasingly.  
  
Between that and the eyes and the shirtlessness, I couldn't think of a plausible arguement, so I just nodded. "Maybe not. So now I don't know what's right and what's not. Darn."  
  
Frodo laughed. "Why do you know all those numbers, anyway? I thought we were just a book to you."  
  
"Oh, no, much more than that, the books are among the finest literature ever written. I just fell in love with the story and I...I don't know. I get obsessed with trivia. It's a good thing I knew the story, though. Can you imagine what the past few days might have been like if Shelly and I had had no idea who you were?"  
  
"Not really."  
  
I smiled. "No, I guess you wouldn't. But it wouldn't be pleasant, I assure you. But anyway, back to what we were talking about...what was it like to grow up around so many relatives?"  
  
"Well, up until I was twelve my parents and I lived in our own house and we only visited my grandfather Took's house occasionally. After they died, my grandfather took me in. It wasn't much of a sacrifice or anything, there were lots of relatives around at any given moment anyway. I got lost in the shuffle a lot, unless Merry and Pippin were there. Then we tended to be the center of attention."  
  
I laughed, imagining the kind of trouble they got into. "There's a lot of cousins in my family, too," I said, "But the only times we ever get together are Thanksgiving and Christmas." That got me a blank look. "Holidays," I said. "Harvest and Yuletide."  
  
"Ah. Yuletide was the only time we were all together at one time, but there were always people around."  
  
"It must have been fun, though."  
  
Frodo shrugged. "It was second only to Bag End. Truthfully, by the time Uncle Bilbo asked me if I wanted to move in with him I was ready for some peace and quiet. But it was a nice childhood home."  
  
I smiled. "You remember what we told you about the movies and actors and all?" I asked.  
  
He nodded.  
  
"I saw a movie that the actor who played you was in when he was about ten or twelve. I can just picture you at that age. You must've been an adorable little Hobbit lad."  
  
"That's what my aunts always told me," Frodo said.  
  
I laughed. "Let me guess, they pinched your cheeks, too, right?"  
  
He laughed with me. "Yes, actaully...do they still do that to kids these days?"  
  
"Yes, unfortunately," I said. "I will never understand how that got started."  
  
"Me either."  
  
Suddenly I realized that everyone else was picking up their plates and gathering up the leftovers. Frodo and I had been eating while we talked, but how long had we sat there after the food was gone just chatting? Blushingly, I started helping Shelly carry things to my van.  
  
"I vote we all go back to Shelly's house and play more video games," Mike said.  
  
"I'll go if Shelly doesn't care," Cody said.  
  
"There's ten people staying at the house," Shelly said, "What difference can two more make?"  
  
"Can we ride wherever we want?" Gimli asked.  
  
Everyone was dry by then, so I said, "Sure."  
  
"Good. I am riding on the inside of these vehicles from now on." He quickly climbed into the middle seat of my van. Sam apparently shared the opinion, because he climbed in next to Gimli.  
  
I shook my head. "Anyone else want to ride with me and Shelly?"  
  
"Actually," Shelly said, "If you don't care, I'd like to ride in the truck bed. It's not like I get to do that every day. Plus there's plenty of space if Sam and Gimli are with you."  
  
I shrugged. "Whatever." I noticed that, just like at the picnic table, she sat next to Legolas.  
  
"May I ride with you?" Frodo asked me.  
  
"Certainly."  
  
He got into the front seat and Cody and I pulled away at the same time.  
  
I was hoping that Frodo and I could talk some more, but Gimli dominated the conversation. We got started on the various beautiful locations in Middle-Earth--I had been meaning for that to get Frodo to talk about Rivendell--and Gimli had to praise the legends of the Glittering Caves. Then, somehow, that turned into tales of Moria before it fell under the influence of the Balrog. It was interesting, but it just wasn't the same as hearing Frodo talk about growing up in the Shire. I could listen to Frodo talk about anything for hours on end and never get bored, I was sure. Just the sound of his voice was so pleasant, but then he was actually capable of carrying on a fun and intelligent conversation, too. _Whoa, girl. You're doing it again. He may be perfect for you but he's not interested. You've been there before, remember?_  
  
When we got to the house, Cody had beaten us there and there was a Smash Brothers battle going on in the living room.  
  
"Hey," I said. "There's twelve of us, we should set it to a tournament of sixty-four and all play."  
  
"Great idea," Mike said. "Gimme a minute to set everyone up." 

A/N: Review and we'll give you mushrooms.


	17. The Dunk Wars

DISCLAIMER: We do not own LOTR, if we did, Orlando Bloom would be tied up under my bed.

Authoress's Notes:  
  
SHELLY: Here's my version of what happened at the river. Enjoy!!! Thanks to all of you reviewers. We really appreciate knowing what you think of our story. So please, R/R. But remember flamers will only be given to danielle to be tortured by listening to HANSON.  
  
Chapter Seventeen--The Dunk Wars  
  
Shelly POV  
  
As Sarah and I pulled up to the river, I hopped out of the van. I loved this spot. It reminded me of the scene in Fellowship where they're all in their boats and have just left Lorien. I jumped in and did a cannonball, soaking Legolas and Cody. They glared at me and began splashing me back. Our play fight didn't last long, however, because soon Pippin, Merry, Aragorn, Boromir, and Mike joined in on CODY'S SIDE. Lucky for me, I had Frodo. He and I dove and began to randomly pull people down. I got Legolas good. When he came up, he started to chase me. Finally, I got away and laid down on my towel to dry off. I was drifting off to sleep when suddenly, I felt myself being lifted up. I opened my eyes and realized I was in the arms of a wet, shirtless Legolas. I began to wonder if I was dreaming--that is, until he threw me into the river.  
  
I came up and saw a grinning Legolas, in front of a smirking Cody.  
  
"Cody, that is it. You are goin' down." I started to run after him, when Cody said, "Why are you mad at me? I didn't throw you in."  
  
"No, but I know you put the idea in his head. You can tell by the smirk on your face." With that, Cody and Legolas began to run. I almost had them when suddenly, I was grabbed from behind.  
  
"Let them go, Shelly. Don't you see the two of them just enjoy getting a rise out of you?" I turned to face the person holding me and saw Aragorn.  
  
"I guess you're right, Aragorn. Why don't you help me think of some way to get them back? Does Legolas have a weakness?"  
  
"Now, Shelly, would it be fair for me to help you?" He looked down at me in mock seriousness.  
  
"Well, Cody helped Legolas. Plus, hasn't Legolas always teased you about Arwen? Now's your chance to get him back."  
  
Aragorn seemed to consider this for a moment. Finally, he grinned and leaned down and whispered in my ear. "His only fault is that he is too trusting. Make a mock truce with him and then get him when he least expects it."  
  
I grinned up at Aragorn. The future king sure knew what he was talking about. I went over to Legolas. "Okay, you win. Truce?" I stuck my hand out and Legolas shook it. Cody wasn't so trusting, however.  
  
"C'mon, Shelly. What's really going on?"  
  
"Nothing, Cody. I just don't want to chase you all over the river. So truce?" He seemed convinced and we shook on a truce.  
  
"Boy, am I hungry," Pippin and Mike said at the same time, so, I sent Sam and Sarah to cook lunch.  
  
I grabbed the rope swing and swung out and dove into the river next to Aragorn. "Boromir and Frodo have agreed to help," he told me. "But, how are we going to get them?"  
  
Suddenly, my evil light bulb went off. I explained the plan. He went to find Boromir and I told Frodo.  
  
"Legolas, would you like to go for a walk? Maybe it will help dry you off a little more." He was lying on a towel, trying to dry in the sun.  
  
"Sure, Shelly. It would be a pleasure." So we went off walking, toward what I knew was the deepest part of the river. Frodo was distracting Cody, so he wouldn't realize Legolas was gone.  
  
We walked for a few minutes. Aragorn was waiting on my signal. Finally, Legolas turned toward the river and I whistled.  
  
"Shelly, I think we need to ta--" was as far as poor Legolas got when Aragorn lifted him over his shoulder, just as Boromir came around the corner holding Cody.  
  
"One, two, THREE," Frodo and I yelled, signaling to throw the captives into the water.  
  
The two did not go without a fight, though. Legolas was able to grab my arm just as Aragorn threw him in, and Cody was able to grab Frodo, who was standing on the other side of Boromir. So, Frodo and I followed Legolas and Cody in. Once we came up for air, Legolas grabbed me around the waist and dunked me. I saw Cody dunking Frodo, but lucky for me, Cody and Legolas didn't see Aragorn and Boromir coming in behind them. Aragorn grabbed Cody and Boromir grabbed the elf prince and dunked them. As soon as Frodo and I were free, it became an all-out war.  
  
"What are you guys doing," Mike asked as he came around the corner. I looked at Legolas and Frodo. The three of us began flinging water on him.  
  
"Hey, what did I do?"  
  
The others caught on and began doing the same. Suddenly, Cody stopped and took a deep breath. "Yup, food's ready," he said. All the guys except Frodo and Legolas took off running.  
  
"C'mon, boys. Let's eat," I said. We arrived and got a seat. Frodo sat down across from Sarah and Legolas elbowed me. I looked over at him and grinned.  
  
Once we had our food, Legolas thanked me for bringing them. I couldn't help but wonder who was happier, them or me.  
  
Soon Frodo and Sarah were off in their own little conversation.  
  
"Looks like you and I make a good team," I said to Legolas.  
  
"It was your plan. I only helped."  
  
"Yes, but you saw what I did as well. Too bad they still haven't admitted what they are really feeling yet."  
  
"They haven't, but they seem so happy together."  
  
"They're still in denial," I said. We laughed.  
  
"So, now that we've found Frodo someone, who will we find for you? Or perhaps you already have a special someone?" Legolas had teasing in his smile.  
  
I looked up at him. _If only you knew, Legolas. If only you knew._ "Nope, there is no one special. I am completely single. Not by choice, mind you, but because no one would want me." I knew I was having a pity party, but that's just one of the things that I get a little touchy about.  
  
Legolas must have noticed, because he said, "No one could ever think that of you. Shelly, you are probably one of the most beautiful women I have ever met."  
  
"Yeah, sure. I bet you say that to all the girls," I said, trying to lighten the mood.  
  
Before he could answer, Cody said, "That was great! Now let's clean up."  
  
Thankful for the opportunity to escape, I began carrying leftovers to Sarah's van. Soon, she snapped out of the little world that she and Frodo had created and helped me. We decided to go home and play video games--or rather, Mike and the rest of the guys decided to go home and play video games.  
  
"Shelly, why don't you ride with us," Pippin asked. I looked at the five guys and decided I would love riding with them.  
  
"Sure, just let me tell Sarah." I told her and hopped into the back of the truck. I watched each of the guys' faces as they rode in the back. Even though they'd ridden in the back once already, Boromir and Merry still seemed a little scared. Pippin might have been too, because he was holding onto the side very tightly. Aragorn and Legolas sat on either side of me. I think they thought they were my protectors. I wondered if I should tell them exactly how many times I'd ridden in the back of a truck before, but I decided that I kind of liked having them there. I mean, how many girls can say that they had a gorgeous elf and a good-looking guy to protect them?  
  
Once we got home, they all started playing Smash Brothers and once Sarah got home, we started playing a tournament. After supper, Mike and Cody left. The rest of the guys kept playing Nintendo.  
  
"Do you think they'll ever get tired of that thing?" I asked Sarah.  
  
"I doubt it. They are guys after all." At that, Sarah and I started to giggle.  
  
"What's so funny now, you two?" Legolas asked, turning to us.  
  
"Nothing, I just find it funny how an elf such as yourself can sit and vegetate in front of a television so long."  
  
He turned back to the game. I whispered to Sarah, "Let's go to bed and see how long it takes them to realize we're gone."  
  
She snickered at that so we sneaked off and went to sleep with the sounds of Smash Brothers still going on in the front room.  
  
A/N: Take me to the river, Drop me in the water. R/R. 


	18. Five AM Findings

DISCLAIMER: We do not own Lord of the Rings. If we did, there would have been more female characters in it.  
  
Authoress's Notes:  
  
SARAH: SQUEE! This is one of my all-time favorite chappies, at least up until--well, wait, I won't spoil it for you. (Mwahaha.) But I do really, really, really love this chapter. Bon appetit!  
  
Chapter Eighteen--Five AM Findings  
  
Sarah POV  
  
"This has been a great day," I said to Shelly as I crawled into bed.  
  
"You can't go wrong with seven shirtless guys," she said. "Especially if one of them is Legolas." She sighed dreamily.  
  
I laughed. "Very true. But seriously, I got to sit and really talk with both Frodo and Sam and it was really nice."  
  
"And Frodo was shirtless."  
  
I gave in at that. "Yes, and wet. Very...attractive," I said.  
  
"Hot," she said.  
  
"Yeah, okay, hot. Very hot. We're talking fry-an-egg-on-the-sidewalk hot," I said, getting a laugh out of her. "Plus it looked like you were having a lot of fun with Legolas and the other guys."  
  
"Yeah, it was really cool. We got into a big dunking war."  
  
"Yeah, and I saw you take off with Legolas."  
  
"You were watching? I thought you were drawing."  
  
"Honey, we were at a gorgeous spot on the river, and there were seven shirtless guys hanging around. What do you think I was drawing?"  
  
Shelly laughed at that one. "True, true. Did you finish it?"  
  
"No, and you can't see it 'til I do. But anyway, I saw you take off with Legolas..."  
  
"It was part of the dunk war. Aragorn teamed up with me and Boromir and Frodo to get back at Legolas and Cody."  
  
"Sure, Shelly. Whatever." I was in a teasing mood.  
  
"Seriously, Sarah...but you know, come to think of it, right before Aragorn came out and jumped him, Legolas was saying that we should talk."  
  
"Really?" I asked. "Wonder why."  
  
"Oh, probably nothing serious, or he would have brought it up at lunch."  
  
"Either that or he didn't want to say anything until you were alone."  
  
Shelly paused after that. "I wonder what's going on."  
  
"No telling," I said, vaguely wanting to change the subject. I tried so hard to keep ideas out of my head, I didn't want to give any to her. Still, it could happen. Legolas obviously liked her at least as a friend, and I knew she probably cared about him at least as much as I cared for Frodo. The thought of them together made me smile. Lucky Shelly. I didn't envy her Legolas but I did envy her finding love, if that's what it turned out to be.  
  
After that we went to sleep. I had crazy but sweet dreams involving me and Frodo and Shelly and Legolas. There were some parts I wished were true, mostly the ones from any scene that could be described by starting with "Frodo and I."  
  
I woke suddenly while it was still dark out and had to go to the bathroom. I glanced at the clock--4:45. When I got out the door, I realized that there was light coming from the living room. _There's no nightlight out there, the only nightlight is in the bathroom..._ I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and took a few steps in that direction.  
  
Aragorn and Boromir were both asleep on the hide-a-bed, facing toward me, but still sitting in one of the chairs, haloed with the soft glow from the TV, was Legolas. He had turned the sound off, but he was still playing Smash Brothers.  
  
"Legolas?" I whispered.  
  
I startled him, and he whipped around in his chair. "Is that what Shelly meant by a heart attack? I don't think anyone has ever sneaked up on me like that before."  
  
I smiled. "You get REALLY involved in your game," I said, quietly.  
  
He nodded. "Why are you up so early?"  
  
"I was on my way to the bathroom, then back to sleep. I really think you ought to shut it off and go to bed."  
  
"I don't sleep," he pointed out. "The type of rest I get I can live without if I want to."  
  
I sighed. "Still, it's not good for the GameCube and I'm sure it's harder for Aragorn and Boromir to sleep this way."  
  
He pouted just a little, and I have to admit it was awfully cute. If Frodo hadn't won my heart first Shelly might have had competition. "All right, I'll go lay down," he sighed.  
  
"Good." I turned and headed down the hallway, and after he had shut down he game I heard his steps behind me.  
  
When I left the bathroom I poked my head in Shelly's parents' room to be sure he had listened. I thought he was sleeping with his eyes open, but he spotted me and winked. I waved and left the room, embarrassed.  
  
The door to Kimmie's room across the hall was open. I couldn't resist poking my head in and checking on everyone.  
  
Merry and Pippin were in the bed on the right. Merry was against the wall and curled up tightly. In contrast, Pippin was sprawled out and had one arm dangling off the edge. Sam and Frodo were in the other bed, against the opposite wall. Sam was perfectly on his side, and seemed tense even in sleep, ready to jump up and protect Frodo. And as for Frodo himself, he was against the wall, one arm under his pillow, the other hand curled up into a fist held close to his body. I realized that he was probably so used to clutching the Ring in his sleep that it was a voluntary position.  
  
I probably could have stood and watched him sleep all night long, but suddenly I felt a hand on my shoulder and it took all I had to keep from screaming and waking everyone. "Legolas!" I hissed, turning around and realizing who it was.  
  
"Unlike me, you need sleep," he informed me. "I didn't hear you going into Shelly's room."  
  
I bit my lip before answering. "All right, I'm going. I was just checking on them, I figured I checked on everyone else..."  
  
He smiled in the dim light from the nightlight. "Don't worry about making excuses. I can keep a secret."  
  
I frowned. "Whatever. It's not a big deal. Good night."  
  
"Good night, Sarah." We both walked to our respective rooms.  
  
Several hours later, everyone was up. As the two of us were getting dressed, I told Shelly about Legolas and the GameCube and we had a pretty good laugh about it, especially the part about heart attacks. I neglected to mention him catching me watching the Hobbits.  
  
After that, I found myself in the kitchen with Sam again. Shelly and Boromir were folding away the hide-a-bed and the rest of the Fellowship was scattered about either getting dressed, showering, or walking outside.  
  
Sam and I decided to make pancakes. He was at the stove and I was mixing a second batch of batter when he asked, "Did you finish the pictures?"  
  
I shook my head. "I wish! I'm not as fast as I'd like to be, but accuracy is more imprtant than speed..." I trailed off, not wanting to get off on an art tangent with someone who wasn't an artist. "Why?"  
  
"Well, Mr. Frodo was asking why you weren't swimming and I told him about the pictures, and he wanted to see them, he said."  
  
"Ah. Well, after breakfast, maybe." Honestly, unless a person watches from the moment I start a picture, I prefer for it to remain a surprise until I finish it.  
  
A few minutes later everyone was sitting down. "Go on and sit," Sam said. "I'll serve this morning."  
  
"Thanks." I went to go sit down and the only two empty chairs were between Frodo and Gimli. That was a split-second decision--my feelings for Frodo aside, Gimli didn't exactly have the neatest eating habits that could be wished for.  
  
"Good morning, Sarah," Frodo said cheerfully, smiling widely.  
  
"Good morning!"  
  
"Did Sam tell you he told me about the pictures?"  
  
I nodded.  
  
"Can I see them? I love paintings, and there's not much opportunity in the Shire to see new ones, you know. It's one of the nice things about Rivendell. Anyway, can I see them?"  
  
I hesitated. I could hardly say no, but I didn't want to just give in so easily because then everyone else would be mobbing to see them before they were finished. "Well, they're not paintings, they're drawings..."  
  
"Still, it's something new. Please?"  
  
I pretended to sigh. "Tell you what. I'm doing a group picture. I'll let you see them before they're finished if you'll sit for me while I draw you."  
  
"Sit for you?"  
  
"Model, pose, whatever. Anyway, you sit, I draw, we talk, and then when I finish drawing you in, you can see the pictures. I'm nicer than most artists, I never make people sit perfectly still, just maybe turn a certain way for a minute or two now and then."  
  
He smiled. "It's a deal."  
  
After we finished eating, I got my art supplies (affectionately known as my "draw stuff"), and Frodo and I went out on the front porch. We sat sideways in the swing so we could face each other.  
  
"Now, you just sit," I told him. "Sit however it's comfortable for you, and like I said, you don't have to be perfectly still. Just don't freak out if I stare at you for a moment or two."  
  
"Okay..." Now that we were out here, he sounded kind of unsure.  
  
"Tell me about Rivendell," I said. "Did you get to explore the library while you were there?"  
  
A smile lit up his face. "You like books?"  
  
I nodded, eyes on my paper. "Books are my life," I said. "Books and art and music...what else could a person possibly need?"  
  
He pondered that. "Food, water, shelter, clothes..."  
  
I giggled. "If we're talking necessities, yeah. I meant beyond that."  
  
He shrugged. "Love, maybe."  
  
I glanced up at him, trying to cacth the expression in his eyes as he said that before it faded. I wanted that in my picture. "Yeah, maybe...but then, there are plenty of people who live without it."  
  
He sighed. "Sadly, that's true. But anyway, the library..."  
  
As he talked, I sketched him into both pictures and colored him in both. I swear I could have listened to him forever. When I finally showed the pictures to him, he couldn't say enough about how talented I was. I think he exaggerated, but it was nice to be appreciated.  
  
His talk of Rivendell had inspired more pictures, so we turned so he could see as I drew and he helped me get the lines right on several sketches of Elrond's Homely House. Although I was very focused on my art, I couldn't help but notice that his arm kept brushing against mine as he pointed out small changes that I needed to make.  
  
I could hardly believe it when Sam came out and told me that it was time to fix lunch. I looked at my watch. "It's eleven-thirty!" I cried. "I'll be there in just a minute, Sam." He went back inside and I turned to Frodo. "We've been out here for three hours," I said, picking up my pencils.  
  
He smiled. "I can think of worse ways to spend a morning, Sarah."  
  
I smiled back. "Come on, as fun as it's been, we have to go in."  
  
Hard as I tried to focus, Sam ended up doing most of the cooking. I was in a really good mood and there was nothing that could ever ruin it for me. I sat next to Frodo again, and even though we were talking with Merry and Pippin as well, the three of them telling me and the rest of the group stories about growing up together, I don't even remember what we ate. I'm not even sure I did eat.  
  
Three hours. Three entire hours, just me and him, talking about the things that mattered most to both of us. Plus he liked my art. Could life get any better?  
  
A/N: Well, really, could it? Yes, it could, if you would review. 


	19. More than Mellonea

DISCLAIMER:We don't own LotR, if we did then, Thamwithe would have been like Doug off of 50 firth dateth.  
  
Authoress's Notes:  
  
SHELLY: This was one of my favorite chapters to write. I hope you all enjoy it. Please read and review.  
  
Chapter Nineteen--More than Mellonea  
  
Shelly POV  
  
After breakfast, Legolas and I did the dishes. On the way back from the kitchen, we passed the window. I stopped and began to see what Sarah and Frodo were up to. She was drawing and he was talking.  
  
"Won't be long now," I said, rather pleased.  
  
"Will not be long until what?" Legolas asked.  
  
"Until they finally admit their feelings, of course," I said.  
  
"How can you be so sure, Shelly?"  
  
"Well, have you ever seen Frodo happier than he is when he is with Sarah?" I asked, matter-of-factly.  
  
"No, I have not, but I have not known Frodo very long, either," Legolas said, thoughtfully. "So you believe they are still in denial."  
  
"Not quite. I think that Sarah is beginning to accept that she likes him, but she will never act on it." Legolas looked at me, confused.  
  
"Why wouldn't she act on it?"  
  
"Well, when she told the last guy she liked how she felt, he rejected her and she's never gotten over it. I don't know if she ever really will."  
  
"Why did the scoundrel reject someone like her?" Legolas looked slightly angry.  
  
"No, he's not a scoundrel. Actually, he's a friend of mine. He explained to Sarah that he only liked her as a friend, nothing more. He told her that was all they could ever be. At least he was kind enough to not lead her on and make her believe there was a chance he could like her." I turned from the window to face Legolas. "By the way, Sarah told me you really enjoyed our GameCube last night," I said, changing to a much lighter topic.  
  
"Sarah told you about finding me playing?" he said, almost shocked.  
  
"Yes, she did," I said, laughing.  
  
"Did she tell you what I caught HER doing?"  
  
I raised an eyebrow. "No."  
  
Legolas smiled mischeiviously. "When I found her, I told her I could keep a secret...but I didn't say I WOULD."  
  
"So what was it, already?" I asked, impatiently.  
  
"I caught her watching Frodo sleep."  
  
"Aww, that is so cute!"  
  
We walked back into the living room and began to watch TV with everyone else. At 11:30, I got up to make lunch, but when I got to the dining room, I saw Sam bringing in Sarah and Frodo.  
  
"Why would he do that? Doesn't he see that they were happy out there? Why, I could wring his filthy little neck," I said to Legolas, who had followed me.  
  
"Hey Sam," he called. "Come here." Sam came over to us and I pulled him outside.  
  
"SAM, why didn't you leave them be? I could have made lunch."  
  
He looked at me, angrily. "Frodo doesn't need a girl right now. He already has so many troubles. He doesn't need to add a girl that he will have to leave into them. I don't mind if they're friends, but if they get too friendly, his heart will be broken!"  
  
"Samwise Gamgee, I know that you can see she makes him happy. Is it going to kill him to have a little happiness to look back on when he's in the land of Mordor? Why don't you leave them alone and let nature take its course?"  
  
"Mordor?"  
  
I clapped my hand over my mouth. "Forget I said that," I said. "But come on, Sam, if Frodo doesn't say somthing to her soon nothing's going to happen, anyway, so why don't you just leave the two of them alone?  
  
He pouted. "Only if you and Legolas do the same. Don't force them to sit together and don't keep pushing them to be alone."  
  
I sighed. "Deal." It wasn't like Legolas and I had had to do much of that lately, anyway. Frodo had been taking the initiative on his own more often than not. I went back inside and set the table for lunch. Soon, Legolas joined Sam outside.  
  
While we were eating, Legolas took my hand and squeezed it. I felt my heart flutter. "You did the right thing, mellon. Sam needed to understand that Frodo needs this. He just doesn't want Frodo hurt any more than you want Sarah hurt."  
  
"Thanks. No one else heard us, did they?" I asked, remembering that I had raised my voice.  
  
"No, just my elven ears." I smiled at him and went back to eating.  
  
After lunch, the guys agreed to begin training us with the weapons. Sarah chose to learn swordplay with Aragorn, Boromir, and the Hobbits. I would have chosen archery, but Legolas disappeared right after lunch, so I went with Gimli.  
  
As Gimli taught me, I learned that I liked the axe. He was actually teaching me two different kinds of axes--how to "hew orc-flesh" with the long-handled one and how to toss the small ones. We'd found a piece of scrap plywood in a camp shed and marked out a target.  
  
"No, lass, move your wrist more." I did and the axe hit the bullseye.  
  
"Thanks, Gimli," I said.  
  
"You're welcome, lass. The truth is you're a natural." I grinned at him. He looked tired.  
  
"You okay, Gimli?"  
  
"That darned elf woke me when he came to the room last night."  
  
"Go take a nap, Master Dwarf. I'll be fine."  
  
"That sounds like a good idea, lass," and with that he turned and went into the house. I took out his large axe and began practicing my strokes. Suddenly, I hit something. I opened my eyes and saw Legolas' clear blue eyes and one of his gorgeous twin blades blocking my stroke. I laid down my axe and smiled.  
  
I asked, "What do you want, Legolas?"  
  
He laughed. "Well, I was curious, would you like to learn how to use a REAL weapon?"  
  
"WHAT!!!???" I could not believe he just said that the axe was not a real weapon.  
  
"I promised Sarah I would instruct her in archery. Why don't you join us?"  
  
"Sure, Legolas. I'd love to join you."  
  
Sarah had found one of the archery targets that we used for summer camp and set it up. We'd both had that small amount of practice, but with only five arrows to perfect your aim, it was impossible to gain any real skill that way.  
  
Legolas handed his bow to me and Aragorn handed his to Sarah. Legolas demonstrated the form. Sarah copied and hit the target.  
  
I copied Legolas' form, but aimed higher up. "Like this, Legolas?" I asked, sweetly.  
  
"No, aim lower."  
  
I aimed at the ground and changed my hold to be incorrect.  
  
"No, here, let me help." And with that he came up behind me and put his arms around me to help me aim.  
  
"Try it like this," he said, fixing my grip and aim. I prayed his elven ears could not hear how fast my heart was pounding. I could feel his breath on the back of my neck and it just felt so right to have his arms around me.  
  
"Now, let go." I did and it hit near the center of the target.  
  
"That's more like it," he said.  
  
"Sure is," I heard Sarah mutter, and I knew Legolas had heard her, too.  
  
"Try again, Shelly." I put another arrow in and Legolas once again fixed my aim. This time when we let go, the arrow lodged in the exact center of the target.  
  
"Perfect," he whispered. I turned around and his arms were still around me. We leaned closer and closer until--  
  
"Legolas, look!" Sarah yelled. He immediately pulled away and saw Sarah had hit a bullseye, too.  
  
"Great, Sarah." Then, he went to pick up the arrows. I must have been blushing really badly because Sarah was staring at me with a big grin.  
  
"Go Shelly, go Shelly, go Shelly," Sarah said, under her breath.  
  
"Sarah Ebort, you'll so pay for that."  
  
"How?" she taunted.  
  
All I had to do was look at Frodo, then back at her.  
  
"Point taken. Shutting up," she said, beginning to blush herself.  
  
When Legolas had retrieved all our arrows, we practiced for another hour. Then, Aragorn and I worked with swords for an hour. Sarah and I got to battle each other once, but since I'd been working with the axes and she with swords she had a head start on me and won.  
  
By the time we were done, I could barely lift my arms. Sarah was the same way. Sam and the others must have noticed, because they volunteered to make supper while Sarah and I showered. I felt refreshed after the shower, but Sam and Gimli insisted on doing the dishes.  
  
So Boromir, Aragorn, Merry, and Pippin began to play Nintendo, Legolas went out to the back porch. Sarah went to do her hair, and Frodo disappeared, but when Sarah shut off her dryer for a moment I heard him talking to her, so I figured he was with her. I watched the guys for a little while, but I began to daydream. I remembered how good Legolas' arms had felt around me. Then my mind wandered back to my conversation with Sarah last night. _What had Legolas wanted to talk about?_  
  
Finally, I noticed Sarah and Frodo had relocated to the front porch, so I slipped out the back door to talk to Legolas.  
  
He was standing there, looking at the stars, as usual. I thought that he didn't hear me come out--that is, until he spoke. "Hello, Shelly." You can't sneak up on someone whose hearing is at least twice as good as the average person's.  
  
"Shoot, guess you caught me." I thought for a second, then said, "But how did you know it was me?"  
  
"Lucky guess," he said vaguely. "How about a walk?"  
  
I smiled at him. "Sure, but let's make sure we don't go around front. Our little love connection seems to be working."  
  
"Our little what?"  
  
"Love connection."  
  
He still had a confused look on.  
  
"Frodo and Sarah," I explained.  
  
"Oh," he smiled.  
  
As we walked down the back stairs, he offered me his hand. I took it, and once we reached the bottom, he didn't pull his hand away, so we walked hand-in-hand in silence for about ten minutes. Finally, I got up my nerve.  
  
"Legolas, yesterday, what did you want to talk about?" He looked at me and seemed to be debating whether or not to tell me. "Legolas, you can trust me. No matter what you say, I'll listen and discuss whatever is bothering you." I looked at him.  
  
"I wanted to talk to you about that kiss the other night," he confessed. He paused as if searching for the right words. "I know that it was just to trick Frodo, but I felt something more than friendship."  
  
I felt my heart begin to flutter in my chest. "So did I, Legolas. I just didn't think you'd agree. I mean, I've only known you five days, but I still have these really strong feelings." I stopped myself. I could not say love. That would only scare him away. In the past, my mouth had run away and ended things before they could even start. I could not let that happen with Legolas.  
  
"Shelly, I'm so glad to know that the kiss meant as much to you as it did to me. Normally, I would not ask this until much later, but now, we may not have long together."  
  
I tensed. _What is he going to ask?  
_  
"Shelly, may I kiss you again?" He looked at me hopefully.  
  
I smiled. "Yes, Legolas, you can."  
  
And with those words, I was swept up into the most passionate, loving kiss I had ever felt. Then, he held me and whispered, "I love you, mellamin." He began to kiss me again.  
  
"Wait, Legolas, stop," I heard myself say, pulling out of his embrace. "This is just going so fast. I don't want a relationship with someone I may never see again. Plus, I'm mortal and you're not. This will never work." I said the words, but I knew that really, I was scared of loving and losing. It certainly wasn't because I didn't care about him. "Besides, I just don't know how you can be so sure about your feelings. I've...I...Good night, Legolas." I took off running back to the house. I came back in and said good night to everyone. Then I went to my room and cried myself to sleep.  
  
At three that morning, I woke up in a cold sweat. I had dreamed about Legolas and I kissing, then he had just disappeared. _He can't be gone. It has to be a dream._ Just to be sure, I got up and checked the living room. Boromir and Aragorn were still there. Next, I checked the Hobbits' room. They were all there, too. I was feeling rather silly by now, but I still went into Mom and Dad's room. My breath caught in my chest. He was gone. Gimli was there, but Legolas was gone.  
  
I quietly walked out of the room and out the front door and began to cry. I collapsed on the swing and cried harder. The only guy I'd ever really cared about was gone and I hadn't even got to tell him. I had been too slow. Now, he was gone. And no telling where he was, for all I knew he'd been zapped back to Middle-Earth and I'd never see him again.  
  
Suddenly, I felt a hand on my shoulder. Figuring it was Sarah, Aragorn, or Frodo, I turned and held onto them crying. Their two arms wrapped around me.  
  
"He's...gone. He'll never know, now," I said, in between sobs. "I'll never get to tell him."  
  
"Tell who what?" Hearing the voice, I looked up and I was in Legolas' arms.  
  
"It's you! You're still here!"  
  
"Of course I am. I just went for a walk."  
  
I couldn't believe he was still here. I lost all control of myself at that point. I threw my arms around his neck and kissed him. I didn't let go until I needed air.  
  
"Now," he said, a little out of breath, "Will you answer my question? Tell who what?" I looked into those gorgeous, clear blue eyes and knew that I would love him for the rest of my life. I knew that everything went against us, but at that moment, I didn't care.  
  
"Tell you that," I took a deep breath, "I love you, too."  
  
He grinned at me. "That's all I needed to know," he said.  
  
So for the rest of the night, he just held me and we talked and shared the occasional kiss. As some point I must have drifted off to sleep because suddenly, I was in Legolas' arms and he was carrying me into my room.  
  
"I love you, Shelly." He gently laid me on the bed, extremely careful not to wake Sarah, then kissed me.  
  
When he pulled away, I whispered, "I love you, too, Legolas."  
  
Then he smiled, turned around and left. I slept peacefully for the rest of the night.  
  
A/N: Read and review, but remember flames will merely be used to cook the fish that Danielle slapped Sarah with. (In reviews) 


	20. So Close, and Yet So Far Away

DISCLAIMER: We do not own Lord of the Rings, if we did me, Shelly, and Dani would have all gotten roles in it.

Authoress's Notes:

SARAH: Here we start the training! Yay! Another one of my favoite chapters. I think 24 is my all-time fave, though. Hehehe.

Chapter Twenty--So Close, and Yet So Far Away

Sarah POV

I swear, I might have sat in a daze all day after lunch had Aragorn not caught my attention.

"I believe the two ladies here expressed a desire to learn something of defending themselves," he said.

I looked up. I didn't bother telling him that it was really just for Shelly and I to have some fun with them and pick up a skill that would probably be little more than a nice party trick. "Yes, I want to learn how to use a sword," I said. "And a bow and arrow."

"I can teach you the bow," Legolas offered. "I had planned on going for a walk, but--"

"No, that's fine," Aragorn said. "Go. Boromir and the Hobbits and I can get her started on swordplay and when you get back she can start on the bow."

Maybe Aragorn was an eager teacher, but I think he just wanted his sword back.

So, after the dishes had been done, Shelly finally brought out the Fellowship's weapons. "You can keep them from now on, but there is one rule: You can only use them OUTSIDE." I giggled. I could just imagine Merry and Pippin fencing around in the living room and making a big slice in Shelly's couch.

Everyone was eager to get their weapons back, and I saw several of them inspecting them to make sure Shelly hadn't damaged them. It was kind of funny.

Legolas kind of disappeared on his walk at that point. I guess he hadn't been outside in a while and needed some time alone.

Shelly said that she wanted to learn archery first and foremost, but since Legolas wasn't there she wanted to try her hand with the axe, so she and Gimli went off. I, however, was in the company of Aragorn, Boromir, and the Hobbits.

"First you must choose a sword," Aragorn said. "You might want to pick one that is not too heavy since it is your first try and you're not used to having such a weight in your hand."

I nodded. My brother and sister had been in Europe once and my brother brought a fancy sword back with him. He'd let me handle it and I had been surprised at the weight, but this time I was prepared for that.

"Can I handle each of them?" I asked. "Just so I can see the difference?"

Boromir shrugged and offered me his, which I knew was easily the heaviest. I hadn't paid attention to the many, many extras on the extended DVDs for nothing. "Yours is hand-and-a-half, right?" I asked.

He nodded. "How did you kn--oh. Right. Do you know what that means?"

"It's balanced in such a way that it can be used with either one or two hands," I said, smiling. I took the hilt of it from him and really had to strain to avoid using both hands. "I don't think I should use this one," I said, laughing. "It's bloody heavy!" I handed it back.

I had been thinking that any of the Hobbits' swords would be too small for me, but I realized that along with their height and their clothes, their weapons were all proportionally changed, too. Frodo actually let me touch Sting. I could almost feel the elvish magic bestowed upon it. Obviously it would never glow blue here, but it was like it was still on the alert and I could feel it. I smiled and handed it back. "I think maybe it should only be used by someone with at least SOME training."

Frodo shrugged. "I'm not that skilled with a blade, either. I welcome the chance to practice."

Aragorn's sword proved too heavy, as did Sam's, but Merry and Pippin's were easily the lightest and were about the same, as far as I could tell. I finally chose Pippin's because the grip was red leather rather than black like almost everyone else's.

Aragorn used Sam and Merry to show me the basic stances and moves. When I could finally copy them all correctly, he let me pick up Pippin's sword and stood across from me with his own. "Now, we do everything slowly."

Suddenly I remembered the training scenes in "The Mask of Zorro." "We do exactly like we would if we were really fighting, only like we're in slow-motion, right?"

Aragorn nodded. Apparently they'd seen something in slow-motion on TV in the past few days because I didn't have to explain. He kept training me for a while, while the others practiced. I remembered the very cute scene in Fellowship of the Ring where Boromir was fighting Merry and Pippin and they had ended up tackling him, and I noticed that the two of them seemed to be having a lot of fun fighting him now that they were the same size and the fight was fair.

After a while Legolas showed back up and Aragorn pronounced that I could go start archery training as well.

"I'll go get one of our targets," I told Legolas, and ran up to the storage shed behind the outdoor tabernacle. By the time I had it set up, Legolas had found Shelly and he was going to teach both of us. Aragorn brought me his bow, Legolas handed his to Shelly, and Aragorn stood back to watch.

I couldn't figure out what Shelly was doing. During camp, she always complained when her team was assigned archery for their daily activity, but suddenly she was all excited to learn it.

Then Legolas pointed out to each of us where and how to grip the bow and then posed in the correct form. It took me a moment, but I got my feet situated like his, then lifted my arms to get them arranged. He told me my errors and I adjusted. Then I let my arrow fly and I hit the target about six inches away from the bullseye. During camp, I had always tried to get it right, but I was doing good if I hit the target at all. Maybe it was the old-fashioned bow, or maybe it was the fact that I was less tense, not in a hurry for the next person to have their turn, but I had shot what was easily my best first shot ever.

Shelly seemed to be having trouble with her form, but when she frustrated Legolas to the point where he decided to stand behind her and physically correct her, I suddenly understood what she was doing over here in the first place. I'm not sure if Legolas saw through her scheme or not, but he was taking advantage of the opportunity regardless.

I shook my head, smiling, and loaded another arrow. Shelly's flew and she had hit very near to the center.

"That's more like it," Legolas said.

"Sure is," I said. The two of them were so cute together.

With Legolas helping her, Shelly was ready to let fly before me, and she made a bullseye that time! Impressive.

I corrected my form again and let mine fly, hitting the mark right next to Shelly's! For the first time, I'd made a bullseye and it wasn't just dumb luck! "Legolas, look!" I said, not thinking.

Shelly had turned around in his arms and when I yelled they suddenly pulled apart. _Darn, I should have looked first! Shelly's going to kill me!_

Legolas quickly put on a smile, trying to cover up his and Shelly's close encounter. "Great, Sarah." He went to go get the arrows, but I wondered if maybe he also thought it would be best to step away from Shelly for a moment.

I grinned at her. "Go Shelly, go Shelly, go Shelly," I said, even though I was pretty sure Legolas could hear, too.

"Sarah Ebort, you'll so pay for that," Shelly threatened.

"How?" I asked, teasing in my voice.

Shelly looked over towards the group practicing swords, and I followed her eyeline to Frodo. Then she looked back at me, devilish grin on her face.

"Point taken. Shutting up." Things were nice between me and Frodo at the moment, I wasn't going to spoil that just to get in another joke with my friend.

We practiced for an hour, and while I understood the sword and would probably be able to at least defend myself with a little practice, I really took to the bow. By the end of the hour, if I wasn't hitting bullseyes every time, I was at least getting within the next-smallest circle. I figured if you aimed for the center of an orc and got that close, it'd still kill him. Not that I wanted to test that theory.

After that, Aragorn set me practicing swords with various opponents and began training Shelly as well.

I got to go up against Frodo. THAT was fun--I quickly figured out that he was scared to fight me too hard, scared to hurt me, I guess, and I completely used it to my advantage. I beat him so bad even Sam was laughing.

Other than that, I still usually lost, but I was beginning to make the fights last longer. I was still being beaten, but I got progressively HARDER to beat. Hopefully they'd be around long enough that I would be able to train more and win a few matches.

When we got close to being done with training for the afternoon, Aragorn put me and Shelly against each other. I'd had enough of a head start to make a difference, so it really wasn't a fair fight, but we still had a blast, each trying to win. Eventually I came out on top.

After that, it was almost dinnertime. I was really tired and pretty sore and I wasn't looking forward to cooking, and Sam must have noticed, because he offered to take care of dinner and recruited Merry and Pippin to help him. Shelly and I headed straight for the showers.

Amazingly, Merry and Pippin in the kitchen did not result in any fires or explosions, and dinner was good to boot.

Frodo and Boromir were the only ones at the table when I came in, and naturally I sat by Frodo. He didn't think of me that way but I was going to spend every moment near him that I could.

"Your hair..." Boromir said.

"Is wet," I finished. "I'll let it air-dry while we eat and then after dinner I'll go blow it completely dry and style it." He seemed to get it until I said "style." "Curl the ends," I said, and he understood after that.

Sam got Gimli to help him with dishes. That was kind of nice, getting a break from kitchen duty.

Boromir, Aragorn, Merry and Pippin started up Bond, and Legolas disappeared outside again. Shelly was watching the game, and Sam and Gimli soon joined her. I made my way to the main bathroom at the end of the hall and started up my blow-dryer. I didn't bother closing the door because everyone had seen me with my hair wet and it wasn't like I wasn't dressed. However, with the noise, I didn't realize that Frodo had gone in his room for a moment and was now standing in the doorway, looking over at me. That is, until I turned around and THERE HE WAS. I didn't scream--I don't scare THAT easily--but I did gasp and I shut off the dryer. "You scared me!" I said, laughing.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I went in there to get my book and I was just wondering what you were doing."

I shook my head at him, and a few water droplets hit him. "Drying my hair, like I said."

"How?"

I realized that even though I'd been doing this every morning, I'd never left the door open so he had no clue what I was doing. I turned the dryer back on, then grabbed his wrist and blew the cool air over his hand. I don't like drying my hair with hot air because I have to use the hot curling iron and I don't want to completely fry it.

His eyes lit up with understanding, and I went back to my task. He said something, but I had to turn off the dryer and make him repeat it.

"Do you mind if I watch?"

That caught me off guard. "If you want to be bored to death, it's your prerogative," I said. "You can come in and sit on the counter." He walked around me and did so. I shrugged and went back to my task. He opened the book on his lap, but he wasn't reading. He didn't even pretend to read. He was watching me, and I have to admit that could see myself blushing wildly in the mirror.

When I finally turned off the dryer, he saved my pride. "It's hot with two people in such a tiny room, isn't it?"

I smiled. "Yeah. Here, touch." I turned my back to him and leaned backwards, effectively scattering my hair all over his lap. It was a shameless flirt on my part, but he didn't seem to mind. He ran his fingers through my hair.

I closed my eyes and for a moment neither one of us moved, but then suddenly we snapped out of it. "It's dry," he remarked, as if it had taken him the whole thirty or so seconds to realize it. I straightened up and plugged in the curling iron.

"Don't touch that," I warned. "It's going to get very hot, just like the stove and irons." He nodded and I started combing out my hair. "What's your book about? I didn't think they'd let you pack a frivolous item like that for a journey like yours."

"Oh, it's a book of Elvish tales. It's the only one I could never, ever replace if I had to...Gandalf gave it to me a long time ago." His eyes saddened, and I watched, keeping silent until he recovered from that. "It seems so long since he fell in Moria," he said.

I nodded. "You're going to be told this again later, but nothing Gandalf did was needless," I said.

He sighed. "I miss him terribly."

"I know. I would have liked to have met him as well as the rest of you guys. I'm sure he was a wonderful friend," I said. I let the image of Gandalf the White slip from my mind, trying to comfort my friend in his grief. If I thought too much about how Gandalf was coming back, then it was harder for me relate.

"Yeah..." Frodo said. He wiped his eyes with the back of his sleeve. "But anyway, this is one of my most favorite books in the world. The stories are so grand and lovely..."

"Read me one," I suggested.

He shrugged. He flipped around a bit, presumably finding one he thought I'd like, and started reading.

In ELVISH.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," I said. "I don't speak Elvish."

He looked up at me. "Oh, I'm sorry, I just thought...I don't know..."

I smiled. "It's a language that doesn't exist here. Most of the words I do know are off the movie."

"What do you know?" he asked.

I decided to throw out my one full phrase. "Elen síla lúmenn omentilmo," I pronounced proudly. It means "a star shines on the hour of our meeting."

"I said that!" he cried.

I nodded. "I know. You said it to an Elf named Gildor. It's in the book. I think it's true in this case."

For a moment we did that weird freeze-up thing again, staring at each other.

Suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, the curling iron's indicator light came on. I turned and picked it up. "Now, see, this part is hot, and this part is safe." I showed him how it worked and he continued to watch me. "Translate a story for me," I finally said.

He shrugged and told me a lovely story about two Elf sisters. The elder sister was betrothed from birth to a son born to friends about the same time. However, when they grew up, the Elf boy fell for her younger sister and there were all the mix-ups and plot twists to make up a good romantic comedy. Eventually the Elf got together with the younger sister, of course.

Frodo finished his story about the same time that I finished my hair, and without either one of us even saying anything, we went out on the front porch. We sat next to each other on the swing and traded stories. I would tell him the basic story of one of my favorite books and then he would tell me a story from his book.

After about an hour it started to get kind of cold, and he noticed me rubbing my arms. He didn't ask if I was cold, and he made no pretense of it, but he put his arm around my shoulders and pulled me close. I looked up at him, and he smiled at me. Quite honestly, the smile and the look in his eyes made me feel warmer than his arm. I curled my legs up onto the swing and leaned against him, listening to him finish his story.

We stayed out there until I started getting really drowsy. I forced myself to keep my eyes open as he finished his last story, and then I sat up a little.

"That was beautiful, and you tell tales like no one I've ever heard--" I was cut off by a yawn--"but I bet it's after one o'clock in the morning." Normally I was up until then anyway, and later more often than not, but I had been on Shelly's sleep schedule for five days and I was used to normal hours now.

"Yeah, probably," he said softly. He stood and helped me to my feet. _What a gentleman._ We made our way inside, careful not to make any noise, as everyone else was already asleep. I paused in Shelly's doorway, watching him make his way down the hall. He waved from his door and smiled. "Good night."

"'Night." I waved back and then went in Shelly's room. I was quickly in PJs and got in bed. I wondered how long everyone had been asleep--Shelly had been in bed long enough to fall completely asleep.

I thought back to the porch. If I thought that Frodo felt anything more for me than friendship, I would have let myself fall asleep. Of course he didn't, it was just that he and I had a lot in common that no one else in the group really cared about, like literature and art and stuff. He was a lot like me, actually, not well-versed in street smarts, but definitely booksmart.

I sighed. Still, no matter what he thought of me, I cared deeply about him. _Curled up against him, with his arms around me...I've never felt so...so...so loved,_ I thought. Was that what that had been? Loved? No, my imagination was getting carried away with me again.

Still, despite my waking resolution, my dreams yet again went off in their own direction and I admitted to Frodo that I loved him. If only dreams came true.

A/N: Review and...and...and something nice will happen. Um. Right.


	21. Once I had a Secret Love

DISCLAIMER:Of course we own it, (sees lawyers coming) kidding, don't own it, none of it, except for our characters.

Authoress's Notes:

SHELLY: I love Legolas, yes I do, I love leggy, how about you? (Sarah and Dani had better say no.) Enjoy reading and please review, but flamers will merely be used to light the candles during my romantic evening with Legolas.

Chapter Twenty-One--Once I Had A Secret Love

Shelly POV

Despite my late night the night before, I was up extra early. When I walked into the dining room, Legolas was the only one up. He saw me and smiled. I walked over the where he was sitting and gave him a quick peck on the lips.

"Good morning, Legolas," I said, acting like nothing had happened.

"Good morning, mellamin," he said, pulling me into his lap.

"Not now. What if Aragorn and Boromir woke up?" I said getting up.

"Who cares? They'll find out eventually anyway," he said.

"I care."

I walked to the kitchen and got some cereal for Legolas and myself. After we ate, we put our dishes in the sink.

"Let's go outside, Shelly." As we walked, he took my hand. "Why don't you want everyone to know about us?" he asked me a few minutes later.

"Because, I'm not sure if they'll approve. I know some of them will, but I don't want to upset anyone. Besides, I just want to be alone with you for now and when Pippin and Merry find out we won't get to be alone much. They'll follow us. And the other part of it is if Cody and Mike find out, they'll be very against it and I don't want a big scene." I looked into his eyes and hoped he agreed. "Plus," I added, "it will save you from being teased by Aragorn."

He laughed. "I'll do whatever you want, love. As long as I get to be near you every once in a while."

I giggled. "Okay, fine." I stopped and he looked at me. His clear blue eyes seemed to see through to my very soul. I put my arms around his neck and kissed him. He deepened the kiss and I began to feel some of the passion I knew was in him. Finally, though, I needed some air, so I reluctantly pulled away.

"Not bad for a pointy-ear," I said as we started walking back toward the house.

"Thank you. I'll take that as a compliment, my dear."

"You should, darling. Before we get back to the house, I love you."

"I love you, too." So, once again we stopped for a kiss.

The rest of the way home, I was trying to think of a way for us to be alone. Once we got back to the house, I still hadn't thought up anything. Since everyone was up, we sat down across from each other at the table. I began to talk to Sarah.

"So, what time did the little late-night girl get in?" I asked her only loud enough for Legolas and I to hear.

"About one. But you should talk, I woke up at 3:30 and you were gone." She looked at me. "By the way, where were you two this morning?"

"Just out for a walk. Legolas loves the outdoors and we were the only two up, so I went outside with him."

"Sure, Shelly." With that, she got up and went to the kitchen, so I got up and turned on the TV. I was watching one of my favorite old Cary Grant movies when Legolas plopped down right beside me.

"What are you watching?"

"An old movie called 'I Was A Male War Bride'." After I told him what it was about, I had to explain why it would matter. The movie is about a French male officer who marries an American female officer during World War II. He comes back to America with her under the War Bride Act. I had to explain to him about some of our laws. By the time it was over, it was lunchtime. I noticed everyone was feeling a little warm, so after lunch, I voiced a brilliant idea.

"Why don't we go swimming in the pool?" Everyone except Sam, Frodo, Gimli, and Sarah wanted to go. About ten minutes later, Cody and Mike got there, and they wanted to swim too.

"Sarah, you can stay here with the ones that don't want to go." She shrugged.

After everyone else was ready, we turned to leave.

"Lassie, wait. I don't want to swim, but I will go with you," Gimli said.

So, once again we headed out the door and this time we got to the car before Sam called after us. "Hey guys, wait for me." He hopped into the front of the car where Legolas was about to sit. "I decided you were right, Shelly. Frodo and Sarah do make each other happy, so we need to let them be happy for now. Besides, if I didn't go, I think Frodo would have killed me."

So everyone but Frodo and Sarah went to the pool. Before we went in, Cody laid down his big pet peeve. "This," he said, "Is an ool. Notice there is no p in it. Please leave it that way." Everyone laughed but Legolas.

"I don't get it," my blonde boyfriend said. Quietly, Gimli took him aside and explained it. We were already on the deck before we heard Legolas' laugh. Once they walked in, I stopped.

"So now you get it."

"Yes, dear." He said the "dear" under his breath where only I could hear it. Gimli and Sam sat down under the big umbrella we have. Gimli began to tease Legolas about being an elf. I almost got mad, until Legolas laughed and teased him back. All the other guys were already in the pool.

"Are you getting in today, Legolas?" yelled Aragorn.

"Sure am, Estel." With that he began to take off his shirt. Now, I'd seen him shirtless at the river, but I hadn't let myself think about it. As far as I was concerned then, he would never be interested in me. Now, he was, so I watched him a little closer this time. He was very muscular. I know that's obvious, but that was the first thing I noticed. He wasn't like a huge-muscle strong, he was just right. He looked at me.

"Aren't you going to get in?"

"Naw, I think I'll just tan for a while first." He looked confused about what tan meant. "Tanning is allowing my skin to darken."

"Oh." With that he jumped into the pool.

I closed my eyes and just enjoyed the sun. I think I fell asleep because all of a sudden, I felt myself being lifted up. I opened my eyes and Legolas had my arms and Cody had my feet and they were headed to the pool.

"Ready, Legolas? ONE, TWO--"

"Wait! Legolas, you do this and I'll make you suffer." I twisted my neck so I could see his face. He didn't seem affected. "You know I can and I will, Legolas. Put me down."

Cody smirked. "She doesn't mean it. THREE."

Suddenly, I was flying toward the water, so I made it into a cannonball and splashed water all over Cody and Legolas. The rest of the day went like that. We played around and finally, at about five I decided it was time to head home.

A/N: Well, Read and Review. Let us know what you're thinkin'.


	22. You Don't See Me

DISCLAIMER: We do not own Lord of the Rings. If we did, we wouldn't have to wrack our brains coming up with funny disclaimers.

Authoress's Notes:

SARAH: Yay! I know I keep saying this but I LOVE this chapter, and this time I REALLY REALLY REALLY mean it! Are there any other Josie and the Pussycats fans out there, I wonder? The song really is from that movie, I think I said that within the chapter but I'm covering my butt here for disclaimer reasons. :-P I didn't write the lovely lyrics contained herein. --sigh-- I've drawn an illustration for this chapter but my computer is sick and I can't scan it. It'll go on the group, though, if I ever do get that taken care of. (I may just break down and do it at school...)

Chapter Twenty-Two--You Don't See Me

Sarah POV

When everyone woke in the morning, Shelly and Legolas were nowhere to be seen.

"Where do you suppose they are?" Sam asked as we made breakfast.

I shrugged. "Not far, since her car's still outside, and ten bucks says wherever it is, they're together. And cut it down by two portions, they've already eaten."

"How do you know that?" Sam asked, frowning.

"I'm psychic that way," I said.

He just stared at me. "You have powers like an Istari?" he asked, wide-eyed.

I giggled. "No, Sam. More like Sherlock Holmes. It's just there are two bowls with a little bit of milk in the bottom of them in the sink, and I know you didn't leave them there last night. You're too tidy."

He looked in the sink and smiled. "That's right, on all counts. Can't ever be too clean."

I just laughed and began serving up plates. As usual, everyone flocked to the table the moment food was seen on it, and about that time Shelly and Legolas came in. Everyone noticed but no one commented, but I looked at Sam meaningfully. "See?" I mouthed.

He shrugged, but nodded.

They sat across from each other, and I found myself between Shelly and Pippin.

"So, what time did the little late-night girl get in?" Shelly asked.

I shrugged. "About one," I said, trying to play it down. Sam wasn't stupid and he probably knew exactly when Frodo had come in as well. I decided to turn the tables on her. "But you should talk, I woke up at 3:30 and you were gone." I paused for effect. "By the way, where were you two this morning?"

"Just out for a walk. Legolas loves the outdoors and we were the only two up, so I went outside with him."

"Sure, Shelly." I got up and took my plate to the sink before she could answer.

After breakfast I helped Sam load the dishwasher, feeling a little guilty about taking advantage of his kindness the last two nights after training.

The morning was kind of quiet. Shelly was watching TV with Legolas, probably explaining more than watching, some of the guys went outside to practice weapons for a while, and Sam and Frodo were back in their room, talking. I went in Shelly's room and sifted through my email. It didn't take long, it was mostly junk, although there were a few funny jokes and a nice letter from my friend, Brandy. She's my best friend, but she's three years older than me and in the past year she'd gotten married and moved away.

I was done replying to everything in about twenty minutes and decided to go outside and watch the guys fighting each other.

As I got out on the back porch, Boromir and Aragorn were having a spirited match. I leaned on the rail and watched, intently studying both their moves, trying to analyze their strategies, thinking that it might be useful knowledge. I was so wrapped up in watching them that I didn't hear Pippin come up the stairs and stand next to me until Boromir finally triumphed and Pippin let out a cheer.

I whirled to face him, but managed to keep from screaming. "Hey. Didn't hear you."

"Sorry. I was wondering if you wanted to practice, too."

I shrugged. "I guess."

He handed me his sword gallantly and I took and and went down the steps in search of a sparring partner. I ended up staying out there, just hanging out with the guys, trying to beat them at swordplay, for almost two hours. I might have stayed longer had Sam not come out and asked if someone would help with lunch.

I gave Pippin his sword back. "Thank you, Master Peregrin. Now, duty calls." I giggled a little. He just laughed at me.

As I climbed up the steps, I told Sam, "I think now I should come back to the kitchen, training or no. I'm getting stronger. I'm not as sore."

"That's good," he said.

A little bit later we all sat down to lunch. Suddenly, all crowded so close in one room, I noticed how hot it was getting. The AC was on, but it wasn't helping with so many people inside. As Legolas and Merry loaded the dishwasher, Shelly suggested that everyone go swim in the pool. The idea was met enthusiastically.

"I think I'll stay in," I said. As I'd told Sam, I wasn't big on swimming, and I knew that once everyone left the house, it would cool down indoors. Plus, it would be nice to have a bit of quiet time.

"I don't think I want to swim, either," Gimli said, taking a seat in the living room.

Well, that was okay. There were worse conversationalists. Granted, Gimli's range of topics was limited, but what he did know, he knew VERY well.

Frodo frowned. "I don't want to swim. I think I'll just stay in here, too."

I smiled. Things were definitely looking up.

Sam shook his head. "I don't like water." That was right, he'd never even gotten wet at the river the other day. I had thought maybe he'd done like me, gotten wet and gotten out, but remembering how long it had taken me to dry, I realized there was no way he could have done that.

Cody and Mike showed up while the guys were in their rooms changing, and once they were clued in, they wanted to swim, too. Shelly said that I could stay with whoever wasn't swimming and I just shrugged. Frodo, Sam, and Gimli probably could have survived without a babysitter, but I was the one who hadn't wanted to leave the house anyway. And, there was a part of me that suggested that Frodo and I might be able to ditch Sam and Gimli.

As they were at the door, Gimli suddenly got up, having decided that he didn't want to swim, but still wanted to go outside with everyone and sit by the pool. That actually made it harder. It was more difficult to ditch one person than two, because one person will notice if they're suddenly alone, but two will let it slide.

Frodo and Sam were sitting on the couch and I went and sat on the loveseat. "So...what do you want to do?" I tried. "We could watch a movie or something..."

Frodo was leaning on one arm of the couch, his feet up on the cushions. He just sighed, deeply, and I swear he glared at Sam. I wondered what could possibly be going on that he was upset with Sam. That was just...wrong.

Sam looked over at Frodo and a frown flashed over his face, but only for half a second. "I think I'll go sit outside, too, keep Gimli company..."

I looked up. What was with that? He stood and made his way out the door. I stared after him, rather surprised.

Frodo finally broke the silence and I looked back at him. "Looks like it's just you and me," he said, shrugging. He'd leaned forward, smiling in that "well, what can you do?" manner, and it was just so cute.

"I guess so." I was kind of stunned. What to do? Suddenly, I remembered something. "Hey, I'm almost done with that group portrait. You mind if I finish it right now? I can still put a movie in if you want..."

He shook his head. "No, I can watch you."

I blinked. "Whatever. Do you mind if I put in music, though?"

"Of course not."

"You may not like our modern music," I said, going to Shelly's room to get my draw stuff and CD case. I laid my supplies out on the coffee table, sitting next to it, leaning my back against the couch. Frodo slipped off the couch, too, to sit next to me. He offered no excuse of being able to see better or anything.

I opened my CD case and started flipping through. "Hmm. I think I'm obsessed," I joked. "Lord of the Rings soundtrack one, soundtrack two, and soundtrack three. Plus symphony number one inspired by Lord of the Rings." I avoided naming the three movies, knowing that the third one was a dead giveaway to the story. "But those are more for relaxation. I need creativity music. That means rock."

"Rock?"

"It's a style of music. It's a lot to explain." I kept flipping through my CDs and finally settled on the soundtrack to "Josie and the Pussycats". I put it in Shelly's DVD player and started it. I turned it down lower than I normally would have played it so as not to make Frodo go deaf. "If you absolutely hate it I'll put in something else," I said.

He shook his head. "It's fine."

I shrugged, sitting in my spot. As I picked up a pencil and leaned over my work, he scooted closer. I looked up at him, a questioning smile on my face.

"I couldn't see," he said, hastily.

I knew that. Really. I hadn't thought anything of it.

Right.

I shrugged and turned back to my picture.

We sat in silence for a while, just kind of listening to the music, up until track four came on. "Hand me that remote," I said hastily to Frodo, who handed the DVD remote to me. I skipped to the next track.

"What'd you do that for? That one sounded pretty."

Track four is the CD's token slow song. I scrambled for an excuse, not wanting to tell him the real reason. "Well, it's just, that one's slow, and remember, I said creative music. It is pretty, though. Just, not right now."

The real reason I'd skipped it was the lyrics. I was not going to sit alone in the house with Frodo and let him hear "You don't see me, and you don't need me, and you don't love me, the way I wish you would, the way I know you could," and all the other lyrics that fit my predicament just a little too perfectly. For one, he would think I'd chosen that CD on purpose, and secondly, I might have just broken down and cried.

At last I finished the group picture and signed it, then let him study it while I started putting finishing touches on the river picture.

"This is amazing," he said. "You've gotten everyone exactly. It's like...I don't know, like you can almost see their personality in everyone's faces."

"Thanks."

"No, really. Look. You can see that Boromir's kind of laid back, and that Pippin looks like he's about ready to cause trouble, and me! It's like looking in a mirror."

I smiled. "You're just having an ego moment. It's not that good. But I do think I captured that one little curl of yours that always sticks out."

He looked up at me with the same expression he'd had--would have--whatever--when Sam mentioned roast chicken in the Two Towers movie. "Which curl?" he asked.

It's not on the movies, but it was on Frodo in real life. I giggled, reaching up my hand to touch it. "That one," I said, smiling. "Didn't you ever notice?"

He shook his head, still half-smiling at me.

"Well, I did."

He went back to studying my picture. "I still say you're very gifted, curl or no curl."

"And I still say you have no taste in art."

I was closer to finishing the river picture, and I signed that and left him to study that one, too, while I got up to use the bathroom. As I was making my way back, I realized that the CD had started over and was back to the song I'd skipped. _Oh, crud. He'll never let me skip it again, he's too curious now. What do I do?_ I decided to wait in the hall and just let him hear it and let the chips fall where they may.

This is the place where I sit  
This is the part where I love you too much  
This is as hard as it gets  
'Cause I'm getting tired of pretending I'm tough  
I'm here if you want me  
I'm yours; you can hold me  
I'm empty and aching  
And tumbling and breaking

(chorus)  
'Cause you don't see me  
And you don't need me  
And you don't love me  
The way I wish you would  
The way I know you could  
  
I dream a world where you understand  
That I dream a million sleepless nights  
Well, I dream of fire when you're touching my hand  
But it twists into smoke when I turn on the lights  
I'm speechless and faded  
It's too complicated  
Is this how the book ends,  
Nothing but good friends?

(chorus)  
  
This is the place in my heart  
This is the place where I'm falling apart  
Isn't this just where we met,  
And is this the last chance that I'll ever get?  
I wish I was lonely  
Instead of just only  
Crystal and see-through  
And not enough to you

(chorus twice)

I couldn't help myself. I looked around the corner of the wall and tried to read his emotions before he saw me. He was looking at the group picture again, a frown on his face, acting like he was trying to make some kind of decision. Suddenly I could tell he'd felt my eyes on him so I jerked back behind the corner. Then I walked out, trying to act like nothing had happened. I looked at my watch. "It's almost five," I said. "They'll want dinner, so I'm going to return Sam's favor and start without him, okay?"

Frodo jerked out of his reverie. "Sure, of course. I'll put your stuff away for you."

"Thanks." Letting him do that was actually a pretty big thing for me. Normally people are not allowed to touch my beloved colored pencils, and I thought I was the only one who understood my organization system, but I kept an eye on him as I went in the kitchen and pulled out the ingredients for nachos. To my surprise, as far as I could tell, he arranged everything exactly the way I kept it. He even put the color groups in order, and managed not to spill the loose pencils when he shut their case--sometimes even I wasn't that good.

I shook my head in amazement. No way. Not only was Frodo obviously super-observant, but he knew that I liked precision and he was taking pains to do it right.

I was chopping onions when he finished up and carried my stuff off to Shelly's room. After that, he came in the kitchen and asked if he could help me.

"Um, yeah...get me some tomatoes out of the fridge so I can chop them, and then you can start setting out plates."

Between his being so polite and helpful, and arranging my draw stuff right, and the song still running through my head, I just couldn't stop myself. A tear rolled down my cheek. He was so sweet, but he'd never care that way about me, and right then I was just caught up in the unfairness of it all.

Suddenly his hands were on my shoulders and he was standing behind me. "You all right?" he asked, leaning forward so he could see my face. He'd caught me.

I smiled. "Yeah, I'm fine. It's just...just the onions," I said, grateful for the excuse.

He nodded. "Ah. Right. The onions." He didn't pull away, though, and I turned my face towards his. He wiped the tear off my cheek with his thumb and my breath caught in my throat. His beautiful blue eyes were so close, so sincere, so intense, and for half a second hope welled up in me. Maybe I'd been wrong about how he felt, and if so, for the first time in my life I'd be glad to be wrong.

"Sarah, I..." He trailed off and I swear he started to lean in closer, but I'll never know for sure. The door slammed open right then.

"We're back!" Pippin announced cheerfully, trailed by the rest of the group, completely oblivious.

Frodo sprang away from me. "Um. Right. Plates. They're in this cabinet, right?" he asked, going over to it.

I nodded, not saying a word. I could have killed Pippin. Or whoever it was that had had the idea to come back to the house RIGHT THEN.

By that time everyone was inside and heading off to change into dry clothes. Sam tried to kick Frodo out of the kitchen, but Frodo would have none of it. "I've already gotten started, so I know what's going on. You go sit and relax for a change," he insisted.

"It's your turn for a break," I said, smiling at Sam. "In return for letting me skip out."

He pouted, but he went in the living room. He wasn't used to being waited on.

About that time Shelly squealed. "Sarah!" she cried. "These are great!"

I frowned. "Don't let the meat burn," I told Frodo, who took over my post at the stove. "What--" As I entered the living room I saw what she meant. Frodo had taken the two pictures I'd finished, as well as the best of the Rivendell pictures, and lined them up on top of the TV, leaning them against the various knickknacks Shelly's mom kept up there. Shelly was intensely studying the group picture. "Is this what you've been working on?"

"Um. Yeah." By then everyone's attention was on me and my work, and I was being showered with compliments.

"They're good," Legolas said. "You have skill enough that your work could easily hang in Rivendell." He paused. "Except for the clothes. You'd have to draw something else, but the skill is definitely there."

Merry and Pippin were both looking at them, too. "I think she captured my rugged good looks, don't you, Pip?" Merry asked, making me giggle.

"Guys, please, it's not a big deal. Just what I do to while away my time."

"That doesn't mean you're not talented," Aragorn said, looking at the Rivendell picture.

I blushed. "Thanks. Now, if you don't mind, the gallery is open for perusal, but the artist needs to get back to the kitchen." I went back and started putting the bowls of various ingredients on the table. I'd decided to put out each of the toppings separately and let each person build their own nachos.

Frodo looked over at me with a cheeky smile as I came back. "I TOLD you you were gifted."

I stuck my tongue out at him and rolled my eyes, making him laugh.

We all sat down to dinner a few moments later, and Cody and Mike stayed to eat. It was the first time they'd eaten at the table since I'd found the extra leaf and I was pleased to see that it wasn't nearly as crowded as it had been before.

The nachos went over pretty well, though there was a rather funny moment involving Pippin and salsa. I'd explained how to make nachos but I'd forgotten to explain about spicy food.

After dinner, Aragorn said that since it was already dark Shelly and I could do without weapons practice for the day, but he expected an extra hour the next day. Shelly and I both groaned.

"Weapons?" Mike asked.

"Yeah," Shelly said. "We're learning to use the weapons."

"Why?" Cody asked. "So that if you're driving to town and a bunch of orcs jump your car you'll be able to keep them from stealing it?"

"No," I said, "Just for fun. And if we do ever need to defend ourselves, it might come in handy. Come on, you gotta admit it's cool."

Mike shrugged. "I think so. Can we learn, too?"

"Of course," Boromir offered. "Come back tomorrow and we can start you off, too."

Cody nodded. "Sure. We'll be back. But now we need to get home."

A few moments later they were gone. Gimli and I loaded the dishwasher, and then I went into the living room to watch/play the GameCube with everyone else. Frodo offered the spot next to him, and I certainly wasn't going to say no. I really wanted to talk to him, now, and ask him what he'd been going to say when Pippin so rudely interrupted us. Before I could even open my mouth to say anything, though, Merry managed to plop down on my other side, killing any chance I had. Now both of Frodo's cousins were on probation in my mind. I wasn't going to ask Frodo here, and I wasn't going to ask him to go for a walk right then, because if we both got up and left the living room together, it would be a little too obvious for my taste. Shelly was already teasing me about him.

I sighed. Frodo had just been caught up in the moment, surely. I refused to let myself even consider any other possibility. I couldn't let myself get my hopes up--I had for just a moment, and gotten burned AGAIN. When would I ever learn?

A/N: Denial is more than a river in Egypt, or so they say. Reviews, comments, feedback, and random thoughts all taken via the little review button below or at our email address in our profile. --hint hint--


	23. Love Never Dies

DISCLAIMER: We do not own LOTR, if we did, we'd be hiding the hobbits under our beds.

Authoress's Notes:

SHELLY: Thank you to all of the beautiful reviewers. Legolas blows you all kisses, as do Sarah and I. Please read, enjoy, and review, but remember, flames will only be forwarded to Davy Jones Locker.

Chapter Twenty-Three--Love Never Dies

Shelly POV

As we pulled back up to the house, Pippin jumped out of the back of Cody's truck and ran inside. We all quickly followed. As I got through the door, I saw that Sarah and Frodo were in the kitchen, cooking dinner, but Sarah was blushing and Frodo's face looked flushed.

Legolas came up behind me. "So what do you think those two were up to while we were gone?"

"What I wish we were doing," I whispered, knowing it would reach his ears only. I turned to face him and smiled up at him. Luckily, everyone had gone off to change except Frodo and Sarah, who were too busy stealing glances at each other to notice Legolas steal a quick kiss.

Cody and Mike stayed for dinner, but left immediately after. Soon, everyone was playing Smash Brothers on the GameCube. Once everyone was absorbed in the game, Legolas went out the back door and I went out the front. We met on the side of the house.

"Well, that was easier than expected," Legolas said with a grin.

"Yes, it was, wasn't it?" I said, as he pulled me into his arms. We began to take a walk through the woods.

I'd been thinking about us throughout the afternoon and I decided to voice my concerns. "Legolas, I don't think what we're doing is fair to you," I said, after we'd walked a few minutes.

He turned to look at me, a slight frown on his face. "What do you mean, mellamin?" He seemed confused.

"I mean that while I love you very much, we can never last. I am mortal, you are elf kind," I said, borrowing a line from Viggo Mortensen and the filmmakers. "Plus, I may never see you again once you leave." I bit my lip. I had been trying to deny that in my mind but I couldn't stop thinking about it.

"Shelly, none of that matters." Legolas stopped and caught me by the arms, making me face him. I just looked up into his eyes, letting him talk. "I finally understand why Men are so rushed all the time. They don't know how long they have left, so they have to make the most of every second. That's how I feel about you. If this is all the time I have with you, then I want to make it last as long as possible. Besides, as far as we know, I may never leave."

I knew that that wasn't likely, as the Ring still desperately needed to be destroyed, but it was possible. I tried to figure out what would happen story-wise if the Fellowship just left Legolas behind, but then I thought of Sarah. Frodo HAD to go back, obviously, and that wouldn't be fair to her, and she would probably kill me. Maybe that wasn't the greatest idea. "Even if you never leave, you are still immortal. I will die someday, you won't."

He smiled softly. "Shelly, I love you so much, I know that I'd die without you. Eternity is meaningless without someone to love all throughout it."

He really thought that after I was gone he wouldn't be able to live? That was a staggering thought. "Legolas, I love you too, but I could not let you give up your immortality for me. You mean too much to me. I don't think I could ever let you give up your life for me," I told him quietly. Elven immortality was a gift precious to Middle-Earth. Whatever the reason, be it death by sword or death by grief, for some of that to fade away was a tragedy, and it was irreplacable.

"Darling, without you, it would be no life at all."

At that, I lifted my face and kissed him. "Okay, we'll let it go for now and just enjoy the time we have together," I said, giving in. If that was really how he felt, who was I to deny him the little time we did have? We walked for a while longer. When we got back to the house, everyone was in bed. Legolas walked me to my door and kissed me good night.

"Good night, dearest," he said, smiling at me.

"Good night, mellamin," I said, using the lovely Elvish endearment. He smiled and made his way down the hall. I walked into my room and squealed.

Sarah sat up. "And where have we been, young lady?" She raised an eyebrow, and I wondered if she was beginning to catch on.

I looked at her and shook my head. "I'll tell you tomorrow, maybe." I said, changing clothes. Then, before she could press for more information, I slipped into bed and went straight to sleep.

The next day was Sunday, so Sarah and I went to church in the morning. We figured that after a whole week, the guys could survive for a few hours on their own, and we explained (quite truthfully) that if we didn't go, Allen and other people we knew would throw a fit, and they'd very likely be discovered. It wasn't easy to leave them, but we skipped Sunday School and went only for the service, hoping to be gone as short a time as possible.

I decided not to bother with getting too dressed up in front of the guys and wore a pantsuit, but Sarah had to wear what she'd packed--a businesslike, purple skirt suit. The skirt only came to her knees, and while the Fellowship had seen both of us walking aound in shorts and gotten used to it, the skirt was a different matter.

Most of the Fellowship was at the table, eating Pop Tarts, when Sarah came out of the hallway. She was heading to the kitchen to get her own Pop Tart when Sam blushingly called it to her attention. "Sarah--"

"Yeah?" She stopped in the dining room, waiting for him to finish talking.

"You're wearing--"

Her eyes lit up with understanding. "Right. A skirt. Sometimes girls do still wear them for dress-up."

Merry was blunter. "It's--short."

"Oh, that. Hemlines have gotten shorter throughout the years. This is typical. Sometimes they're longer, as long as down to the ankle. Shameless girls wear them way shorter, but I wouldn't wear them shorter than this."

"How do you sit down?" Boromir asked. "I mean, and not..." he faltered.

Sarah narrowed her eyes. "Very carefully." She went into the kitchen, then returned with a Pop Tart and pulled a chair several feet away from the table and sat so that Boromir could see how it could be done without flashing everyone.

Frodo kept his eyes on her throughout the whole conversation, but she didn't seem to notice and no one else said anything.

Cody and Mike were at church as well, and followed us back to the house. Sam had sandwiches waiting for us all, and after Sarah and I changed into normal clothes and we'd all eaten, Cody and Mike began their training. Aragorn was a little bit tougher on them than he had been on me and Sarah. I think out of fun he was treating them like military trainees. While they were doing that, Sarah and I practiced fighting everyone else. I got to practice my axe some more, and we did more archery.

After a while, Aragorn had Sarah and I spar against Cody and Mike, probably just to see how far along the four of us were. They weren't bad, but Sarah and I had quite a bit more training than they did. I disarmed Cody fairly quickly, but Sarah still beat Mike way faster. I was best at the axe, and the sword was not my weapon of choice.

After training, Cody, Mike, and the rest of the guys played GameCube. I think Cody was getting a little jealous of all the attention that the Fellowship had been getting because he kept bickering with Legolas, telling him how "feminine" he was. I wanted to smack Cody, but restrained myself and managed to just glare at him. However, if looks could kill, we would have been holding a funeral.

Soon, it was time for supper. I volunteered to cook so everyone else could keep playing. I made my specialty, hot ham 'n' cheese. After supper, Mike and Cody left. About eleven, the Fellowship decided to go to bed, but I noticed before I went to my room that Frodo and Sarah slipped out the front door. I waited for everyone else to get to bed, knowing Legolas would wait as well. At last we kissed good night and made our way to our rooms. For the third night in a row, I slept peacefully throughout the night.

A/N:Ohhh, I wonder what's going on with them.


	24. Now

DISCLAIMER: We do not own Lord of the Rings. If we did, me and Shelly's clones would be more than just pictures.

Authoress's Notes:

SARAH: THIS, dear readers, is the all-time ultimate best chapter ever...so far. Hehe. I'm going ot shut up so you can go ahead and read it.

Chapter Twenty-Four--Now

Sarah POV

When everyone was getting ready for bed, Legolas and Shelly were nowhere to be seen. I caught Sam by the shoulder. "They're gone again." Since we'd been talking about it that morning I figured he'd want to know.

He frowned. "They're up to something."

I nodded. "I'm beginning to wonder."

He shook his head. "No. They're up to something," he said, quite sure of himself.

"What? What are they up to?"

Suddenly he got a look on his face like he'd said too much. "Um...I don't know. But you can bet they are." After that he scurried down the hall and into the Hobbits' room.

I stared after him. He knew more than he was letting on. And what WERE Shelly and Legolas doing? As far as I knew Sam and I were the only ones that had noticed. _Heh. Shelly and Legolas. _I wondered if maybe, just maybe, Shelly was trying to start something with him.

I went in Shelly's room, changed quickly, and crawled into bed. I tried to sleep, but couldn't, and dug a book out of my bag to entertain myself until she finally came in.

When she did, she let out a rather fangirlish squeal. Yeah. That wasn't suspicious.

"And where have we been, young lady?" I asked, doing my imitation of a strict schoolteacher.

"I'll tell you tomorrow, maybe," Shelly said. I frowned, but she didn't say anything else before changing and getting in bed. I decided to let it go for the moment, since Shelly was good at keeping secrets and wouldn't tell me a single bit more than she wanted me to know, anyway.

I rolled over and went to sleep, myself. It wasn't a happy night, as I kept dreaming of my moment with Frodo, but instead of Pippin walking in, I would just wake up. Then, of course, it would take me forever to get back to sleep.

The next day was pretty much routine except that we left the guys alone for the first time while we went to church. I have to admit that my mind was NOT on the sermon that day, and instead of taking notes and doodling in the margins I just drew.

Cody and Mike came back with us and we all did training most of the morning, and then the GameCube went on and stayed on for the rest of the day. Since only four could play at a time, I got my draw stuff back out and started new sketches to pass the time between my turns. When I opened up my art bag I checked everything, and I couldn't find so much as a single pencil out of place. I smiled, my suspicions confirmed.

Shelly made dinner all by herself, her specialty. "Thanks," I told her. "I don't mind being out of the kitchen, and I'm trying to make it up to Sam for the days that I was so sore from training and all."

She shrugged. "No biggie."

After dinner Aragorn and I loaded the dishwasher, Cody and Mike left, and everyone went back to the GameCube. Around eleven everyone started to get sleepy--except, of course, Legolas--and things started winding down. As the Fellowship all started making their way to their rooms, I went in Shelly's room to change. Just as I was about to pull my shirt over my head there was a knock on the door. I dropped what I was doing and answered it, knowing that Shelly wouldn't knock.

Frodo was standing there.

"Yeah?" We'd barely spoken all day, save for the polite words we all said to each other at meals and taking turns at the GameCube. I also had not made a point of sitting by him. Obviously I needed to back off the friendship a little because I was starting to get a little too close. I was reading things into it that simply weren't there.

He smiled softly. "Would you mind taking a walk with me?"

I debated, thinking that maybe it would be better if I just told him that I was sleepy and we could do it the next day. Although I desperately wanted to go, I really didn't think being alone with him would help any.

He must have had a pretty good idea of my answer, because he suddenly added, "Please, Sarah. I must speak with you...alone."

Great. This was the part where he apologized for the one nice moment we'd had. _Well,_ I finally thought, _There's no delaying destiny._ "All right," I said.

I followed him to the door, everyone else bustling about, getting ready to go to sleep.

We walked down off the porch and started heading up towards the campgrounds for no particular reason. We walked in silence for a while, he, apparently, reluctant to start, and me wanting to delay the inevitable for as long as possible.

Finally he broke the silence. "Sarah," he started, "I have something that I must tell you. I don't know how you're going to feel about it, and maybe I shouldn't, but I can't not say it."

I half-smiled. "You forget, I may already know it."

He shook his head. "There's no way you could know this."

I tilted my head. We'd gotten up to the outdoor tabernacle by then, and he started leading me to one of the benches. He took both my hands in his and we sat down.

He took a deep breath and looked around, trying to find the courage to start. Finally he looked me straight in the eyes, his hand still over mine. "I have NO idea where to begin," he confessed.

I smiled. "Well, take some advice from Lewis Carroll. Begin at the beginnning and go on until you get to the end, and then stop."

He smiled. "That's funny, what's that from?"

"'Alice in Wonderland.' Probably the craziest, most insane, fun book ever written. I loved it as a kid. Anyway, what do you want to tell me?"

He sighed deeply. "These past seven days...it's been wonderful not to worry about the quest. You and Shelly have been wonderful hostesses...even if we're not part of this world, we've all felt very much at home."

I smiled, despite my thoughts of what was coming. "Thanks...I just like to think that if we'd shown up in your world you would have given us shelter and taken us to safety."

"Of course. But anyway, these seven days are easily the best seven that have happened since we left Rivendell, and they're at least as good as most days in the Shire...what I'm trying to say is that I've really, really enjoyed being here."

"I'm glad."

"That's not all of it," he said. "That was just the beginnning."

"Sorry. Go on."

"Well, Sarah, the most interesting thing that's happened in the past seven days is all the time I've gotten to spend getting to know you, and...well..."

"Yes?"

"Shelly told me this the second morning we were here, but I didn't believe her then. But since then, I've come to realize she was absolutely right, and I feel like I've wasted so much time..." He shook his head. "Sarah...I love you."

I gasped. I had absolutely no idea what to say to that. For half a second I just stared, mouth dropped open, but then regained my senses. I threw my arms around his neck and buried my face in his shoulder. I felt his arms wrap around me as well and hold me close to him.

I pulled back after a moment so I could look at him. I could feel tears welling up in my eyes and I was trying so hard not to let them spill over. "You mean that? For real?"

He nodded, the look in his eyes saying I was insane to think otherwise. "Of course, Sarah. You're beautiful, you're smart, you're a talented artist, you seem to know about every book ever written in this world, you're funny, you're sweet, you're compassionate...frankly, I'm amazed that I don't have any competition, and I can't understand for the life of me why any man would ever turn you down."

After being alone for all this time, and to finally meet the guy of my dreams AND have him fall in love with me...that moment was simply indescribable. The moment I'd waited my whole life for. To love and be loved, as the saying goes.

Now I finally got to say what I had been wanting to say for days, but hadn't dared for fear of another heartbreak. "Frodo...you know that I've known about you for a long time before we met, and I liked you already, but now that I've actually gotten to know the real you...I love you."

The thing that really proved to me that he was serious, that no one had put him up to it and it was not just a cruel joke, was the way his face just lit up when I said that.

And then, suddenly, the moment was right. We both leaned in at the same time and our lips met. Frodo reached up and ran his fingers through my hair and I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him close to me.

True confession: that was my very first kiss, ever. I mean, family's cheeks don't count, and with my past relationships, it wasn't by choice, it was lack of opportunity. But after everything I'd been through and finally finding happiness, I was kind of glad that it worked out that way. There weren't bitter memories of other kisses spoiling that moment for me.

Neither one of us wanted the moment to ever end, but at last we did have to come up for air. We leaned our foreheads together to talk, my arms still around his neck and his arms curled around my waist.

"Now I know why none of my relationships ever worked out before," I said. "I was meant to be with you."

Frodo caressed my cheek. "Of course...I just wish I would have said something a lot sooner. I almost told you yesterday," he confessed.

"But Pippin walked in, right?" I asked, smiling.

He laughed. "I almost strangled him. Fool of a Took."

That made me laugh. "No kidding. I wanted to kill him, too, but then I tried to convince myself that what was happening was NOT what was happening."

"What?" I'd confused him.

"I had thought for a moment that you were going to kiss me--"

"I was!"

I giggled. "I know that NOW, but after it happened I told myself that you were just being nice and had gotten caught up in the moment. I've been trying so hard all this time to convince myself that you were just being friendly."

"Well, I was, at first. I liked you all along, but I think I first realized that I loved you when we were at the river and you and I got to talking and we didn't notice everyone getting up and leaving us. I wish I would have said something right then."

"Better late than never," I said, smiling.

Frodo sighed. "It's not like we have forever, though," he said. "I mean, sooner or later, I'll have to leave. I just couldn't stand the thought of leaving without you knowing how I felt."

Oh yeah. For a while I'd forgotten that part. There was still the Ring to be destroyed and all, and quite frankly, the sweet nothings of a simple Hobbit and a silly girl didn't mean much in the face of that.

I sighed. "If you had never said anything, and I found out later that you loved me the whole time and never told me, I would have been more hurt than I will be having this chance to have this time together."

He smiled softly. "That's what I was hoping. I don't know how long we have, but let's not think about that. Let's just think about now. We don't have forever, but we have now."

"We have now," I repeated. "That's what counts. So let's not talk about that again, let's just pretend like we will be together forever."

"All right." A mischievious smile lit up his face. "You know, I never kissed a girl before."

"Really? I would have thought all the Hobbit lasses would be after you..."

"That doesn't mean I was after them, though, now does it?"

I laughed softly. "That's all right, it means we're even. I never kissed a guy, either, and that's a lot less likely in this day and age than it is in yours." I turned the tables on him. "You did a pretty good job, though, as far as I could tell."

He smiled. "It's like nothing else, isn't it?"

"Yeah, no kidding."

"I think we ought to give it another go," he said.

I wasn't about to tell him no on that one.

It really isn't like anything else when you're in love. I mean, yeah, there's the physicality of two pairs of lips crashed together, but there's also a connection on another level, one that I can't explain.

"Should we tell the others?" he asked when we pulled apart.

"I don't think so. I mean, I want Shelly to know, and you probably want to tell Sam, but don't you think everyone else would kind of...disapprove?" I could imagine the fits Aragorn might throw, what with Frodo being the Ringbearer.

"Well...not of you, or even of us, but of the fact that I will have to leave."

I nodded. "Yeah...I think we better try to keep it secret."

"Yeah. But it won't be hard, I have a feeling we're going to be alone together most of the time anyway."

I giggled.

Frodo pulled me into his arms and I leaned against him, my forehead against his neck. He ran his fingers through my hair and we just talked for a long time. When I finally looked at my watch I was amazed to see that it was almost two o'clock in the morning. I sighed. "I don't want to go in," I said, wistfully.

"Why should we?"

I sat up and frowned. "What?"

"Well, we've been here half the night, we might as well stay."

Shelly had come into the house with a guy at breakfast more than once, and no one had questioned what they'd been doing or how long they'd been gone. I doubted anyone would freak out if Frodo and I came in first thing in the morning. And I really, really just wanted to be with him. "All right. But I am getting sleepy."

"Lay down," he said. "I'll be your pillow."

I giggled but turned and leaned back against him. He wrapped his arms around my waist from behind and I felt him kiss my hair. He didn't say anything, just held me close.

I really did feel loved, and now I knew that's what it really was. I had no problems falling asleep, but for the first time in quite a while I didn't have any dreams. Suddenly, dreams just couldn't compete with reality.

A/N: --contented sigh-- Review, please...


	25. Girly Gossip

DISCLAIMER:We don't own LOTR, if we did we wouldn't live in Arkansas. We'd be in New Zealand

Authoress's Notes:

SHELLY: Now that we know what Sarah and Frodo are up to, let's see where this goes.

(By the way, for those of you who don't know yet, Bush won the election. YAY!!)

Chapter Twenty-Five--Girly Gossip

Shelly POV

That night my peaceful sleep was cut off by a knock at the door. I looked at my clock and it was 3:30 IN THE MORNING. Whoever was at that door had better have a pretty good excuse for waking me up at this time of night--morning--whatever. I opened the door and there stood Sam. He looked upset.

"What's wrong, Sam?"

"Mr. Frodo didn't come to bed. I was wondering if Sarah knew where he might be." I turned around to ask her, but she wasn't there.

"Well, Sam, she's not here either. She and Frodo probably couldn't sleep and went for a walk. That's all." I told him, trying to comfort him. "Go on back to bed, Sam. I'm sure they're fine." Sam looked at me and slowly walked back to his room.

Once the door closed, Legolas emerged from the other bedroom.

"So, the lovebirds have disappeared," he said.

"Looks that way. Poor Sam. He's only worried about Frodo." I said, looking toward the door.

"You have no idea how worried, my sweet. He's been out here pacing for an hour, trying to decide what to do."

"Legolas, I need you to do me a big favor," I said, turning to him with a sugary smile on my face.

"Anything for you."

"I was hoping you'd say that. Will you run up to the camp and see if they are up there? I want to make sure for Sam." I said.

"Only for Sam?" asked my sweet elf prince.

"Okay, for me too. Now will you?"

He pulled me into his arms. "For a price?" he whispered into my ear.

"What price would the prince like?" I asked.

"We'll negotiate after I find them." He put on his shoes and a shirt, then, headed out the door. I usually don't worry, but Sarah didn't normally disappear like this. About five minutes later, Legolas came back.

"Did you find them?" I asked before he even came in the door.

"Yes, but they'll need a blanket." I handed him one off the bed, and then he was gone again. _What do they need a blanket for? Why don't they just come back?_ I knew Legolas would tell me when he got back, so I waited for him. He was gone for about ten minutes, but it seemed like forever. When he did get back, I took him into my room so we wouldn't wake up Aragorn and Boromir. Aragorn had rolled over in his sleep and I didn't want to take chances.

"So, where are they?" I asked, once I'd closed the door.

"They are sleeping in the outdoor pavilion."

"You mean the tabernacle. Have they finally admitted everything?" I asked him excitedly.

"I would guess so, as Sarah was using Frodo as a pillow and his arm was wound around her." Legolas said.

"That is so cute! But, wait, what are we going to tell Sam?" I realized suddenly.

"I say we tell him nothing. Let Frodo and Sarah worry about it." Legolas said.

"Okay. Besides, Sarah doesn't even know about us. Do you care if I tell her? She is one of my best friends, and she'll probably tell Frodo."

"Shelly, a'maelamin, I would tell the whole world if you would let me."

"Aww, thank you, honey. Now what does a'maelamin mean?"

He smiled softly. "It means my beloved."

I smiled back at that. "Oh, well, as much as I love having you in here, if you don't leave soon, Sam may come looking for you," I said, leading him towards the door.

"Sam's asleep, but if you are tired, I will leave." He started to open the door.

"Well, if you must know, I am a little tired. So, I'll see you later." He walked to his room, then turned and looked at me. I blew him a kiss. He grinned and put out his hand to catch it, and then took it to his heart. I closed the door and giggled. Once I laid back down, I went to sleep dreaming about Sarah and Frodo instead of me and Legolas.

The next morning, by the time I got up, Sarah and Frodo were back and had changed clothes. Other than them, Aragorn and Legolas were the only two up. When Aragorn went into the kitchen, I winked at Legolas. He smiled one of those smiles that only I got to see.

"What are you so happy about, my friend?" Aragorn asked.

"It's just such a beautiful day, Estel." Legolas said, in complete seriousness. Once everyone else was up, Cody and Mike showed up. They asked if we could help them work again, that way we could practice in the afternoon.

"The guys can go with you, but Sarah and I have some housework to do." So Cody and Mike took all the guys up to camp. As soon as they were out of sight, I turned to Sarah.

"So, what time did you and Frodo wake up this morning?" I asked her.

Her face turned a little red, but she said, "I don't know, when I got up, Frodo and Legolas were already awake and in the dining room." She's not good at lying if you catch her unprepared.

"Sure, Sarah, and where were you last night when Sam couldn't find Frodo?" Sarah's face lost all color when I said that.

"Don't worry, Legolas and I covered for you and sent Sam to bed. Now, tell me the truth. What happened last night?" I asked, grinning from ear to ear.

"I'll tell you tomorrow, maybe," she said, getting up and going to the kitchen to start the dishes.

"Okay, fine. I'll dish first. Legolas told me he loved me."

Sarah immediately came back into the room and sat down, eyes wide. "When?!" she squealed.

"Oh, about four days ago."

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?!?"

"I haven't had much of a chance, plus I wasn't sure how you'd feel, especially since I knew how you felt about Frodo."

Sarah smiled gratefully. "What did you say?"

"Well, I kind of freaked out. I ran back into the house and cried. I thought that he would leave me and I'd never see him again. I didn't want to take that chance."

Sarah looked like she was in shock. "But you love Legolas. You have since he came."

"No, I loved the character in a book. I didn't fall in love with Legolas until he kissed me in front of Frodo."

"What?"

I'd forgotten I hadn't told her that part. "You remember I said Legolas helped me make Frodo realize that he and I were like brother and sister? That's how we did it. Legolas kissed me and when Frodo got all defensive I told him that it was because he was being like a brother."

She nodded. "But you still love him," she pointed out.

"Well, that night, after he told me, I had a dream, he'd kissed me. Then, he disappeared. I woke up, scared to death that it had come true. When I went to his room he was gone. I started crying, but he found me and I admitted that I loved him." Then I told her about everything else that had happened. "After Legolas found you last night, we decided that I could tell you. I don't want everyone to know. I don't think they would understand."

"That's what Frodo and I decided, too."

"Oh, so there is a you and Frodo."

Sarah blushed, realized that she'd given herself away, and told me about everything that had happened the night before.

"It was the weirdest thing though. When I woke up, we were covered with a blanket. Was that--"

I grinned at her. "That is courtesy of Legolas. He thought the two of you looked a little cool."

After that, we got to work. By the time the guys got home for lunch, the house was spotless. Once lunch was over, we trained for about two hours. Legolas began to really teach Cody and Mike the bow and arrow. Lucky for me, I was still having trouble with my grip. He had to physically correct me a few times. One time when his arms were around me, he whispered, "Amin mela lle, mellamin."

"What does that mean?" I whispered back.

"I..." He pulled back the bowstring. "Love..." He adjusted the aim. "You." We let go.

"Well, then, amin mela lle, too."

He grinned and then left me to finish shooting. With his excellent tutoring, I was actually getting pretty good. After that, I had my axe lesson, which was almost as fun as archery. Almost.

Once we were done, the guys put a movie in.

Suddenly, I remembered something. "Legolas, I never did show you those other pictures that I promised I would. Why don't you come with me and I'll show them to you, while the others watch this movie?" I said, winking at him.

"Sure, Shelly, sounds great. Could you introduce me to more music while we're at it?"

"Sure, Legolas. Let's go."

The second the door to my room closed, Legolas pulled me into his arms. "Alone at last." He kissed me, and for a few minutes, I forgot my plan.

"Wait one second. Let me start a slideshow and some music so that if anyone checks on us, we can say we're looking at pictures." I turned the music on and one of my favorite songs came on. It's called "Not Just Make Believe." It's about a girl who's so in love it feels like a fairy tale. Legolas seemed to enjoy the beat. We began to dance. I should say I'm an awful dancer, but with Legolas' perfect feet leading, I didn't do half bad.

The song has a line that says "Here comes the prince's kiss, I'm positive the slipper fits," and when he heard that, Legolas grinned and kissed me. Suddenly, the door to my room opened.

"Hey Shelly..." Pippin stopped short when he saw Legolas and I.

"Now, surely we can keep this between us, Pip--" I started to say, but Pippin cut me off.

"SHELLY AND LEGOLAS WERE KISSING!!!"

"Guess not." Legolas said, laughing.

A/N: UH-OH, Now what are we gonna do??


	26. The Council of Relationships

DISCLAIMER: We do not own Lord of the Rings. If we did, the ROTK EE would already be out.

Authoress's Notes:

SARAH: WARNING: This chapter contains major fluff. Enjoy! Oh, and...two chapters late...REVIEW RESPONSES! (Would you at least grant me that it might have ruined the mood in my last chapter?) And YAY! The only person who smacked me with a fish was Dani! And she would have done it even if I HAD responded to each and every one of her reviews!

Laer4572--Thanks for plugging the group! And for liking my art! Keep the story going until we get out of school? You mean this year or until we graduate? I don't know about Shelly, but I certainly wouldn't mind. I'm having fun. And we're planning a lot. A LOT. --zips lips before she spills something she shouldn't-- We made your night? Yay! We like doing that. Thanks for being behind me and Frodo before you knew it was coming. (Well, okay, it IS labeled FBOC, but still!...) THAT made my day, knowing that people wanted it to happen. And, yes, it won't end for a long time, I can say that much. Going on through seven years of college, though? Maybe in spinoffs, but can you imagine how many chapters we'd have in seven years if we write four in a week? Oh, and Pippin's timing? That was actually Shelly's timing. I had chapter 24 all planned out in my head and then she forced me into a corner with 22, but I didn't want to have change the way I had it happen, so Pippin became a delaying tactic. :-) It was all good, though, I had an excuse to use my Josie song! You liked that about the first kisses? I rather liked that myself, that way neither one of them knows if the other is a bad kisser, lol..though I can't imagine that being true of Frodo. --coughanditwouldbemyfirstkissIRLcough-- Weddings? WEDDINGS? Did you hear that, Shelly? We have a florist for our weddings! --makes note of that for future reference in a completely non-spoilerish way as it could be important-- Pippin's your favorite? Cool...and yeah, that was why we had him spill. Too complicated to hide all the time.

Kat1280--First off, you get points simply because my IRL best friend's name is Kat. Yeah...something probably WOULD have been spilled if I had really been around all those guys, I'm a klutz anyways, but that's fanfic magic for ya. ;-) I know, Frodo woulda been a cute kid! I had just seen Elijah Wood in "The Good Son" like three days before I wrote that, so it had to be said. Hehe. Thanks!

Moralinde--What meaneth this "suilad"? Is that Elvish? Thanks for reviewing!

frodofreak88--Yay! No chickens! (Do I wanna know what happened to the Ringwraiths?) And here's another update besides all the ones you already requested and got!

evalyne--You should know by now what Legolas wanted to tell Shelly! We're trying to update as often as possible. Thanks for reviewing!

diesoz--Dani!! Love the name. (I know what it stands for, lol...maybe I should say that you'd be the slightest bit cooler if you were only deso? --runs and hides-- And all I ever saw was diesoz, it must have made it retroactive because I don't see any other name. What was it before? You better not have forgotten the E!) I didn't exactly IGNORE your other reviews, I READ them all. And giggled considerably. There was just no way to answer each one individually. I think we're getting the hang of that layers thing, something happens in chapter 18 and then Shelly took advantage of it in chapter 20...oh, wait, that's not THIS story... --wink-- I KNOW you're evil now! I hath met you in person! WHEE-HEE! But I should be nice...you made me clones! So since we're pretty much to the point where you've read (or at least we certainly BETTER be!)...tell Shelly you can read ONE MORE CHAPTER ahead. ONE. And, yeah, you really scared me when I saw the quote marks! DON'T DO THAT TO ME! And it's been pretty much every other day lately, hasn't it? Aw, thit, didtha haffa bring up our inthide thoke? Thupid Dani for not haffing an eth in her name like me and Thelly. And I DO listen to you, when you type anyways. ;-) Hey, now that you have a name are you going to work on and post your Seanus fic? I'd review you!

lea--Kept your hands off? Shelly is glad. Mr. Eye Candy? Can we USE that? That's great! (Mind you we've written WAY far ahead so you wouldn't see it for a while, but still, would you mind?) And for the record, outside of the story, the closest Shelly's gotten to the REAL Legolas was a cardboard cutout. That's why it's so great to be an author. ;-) Do you literally have a Leggy plushie or is it just one of those internet things? I'm curious. And Pippin snores, most definitely. It's what keeps me awake when I have to write my chapters at 3 in the morning. Davy Jones? I don't know, I'll ask Shelly. I think the idea was that it would put out all teh flames. And Legolas isn't being FORCED away from you, he's clearly happy to be around Shelly. ;-) But huggle that plushie some more and keep reading!

Crystal Moon Magic-- --takes in gasp of awe-- Are YOU a Sailor Moon fan, by any chance? If so: (Yay! I love that show! I don't get to watch it all that often but I have three of the movies. If you are, go join the group, my art's animé-style! Or wait...maybe that's a bad idea, if you watch SM, YOU'LL know that I'm actually not that good...) Anyway, if I'm waaaaay off, sorry for that. I'm glad that you wanted me and Frodo together! Like I said, it REALLY made my day to know that people wanted it to happen! As for what happens when the Fellowship goes back...or if they even go back at all...stay tuned...I will say that I'm not huge on "Tenth Walker" fics, I've seen precious few that were actually worth reading. (Yes, Shelly, that would be Lalaith Took, among others.) But now, have I really given anything away? At all? I think not...

Mesa Juu-Chan--Thanks! Don't let liking our version stop you from writing your own, though!

Jousting Elf with a Sabre--hehe, I like your name! Made me smile even BEFORE I read your nice review...and then I smiled bigger! Morally clean? Yay! Someone else who appreciates it! I don't like reading that kind of stuff either. I'll tell you now, the rating will never go higher than PG-13. (I don't even remember now if we marked this PG or PG-13, but that's beside the point.) And everybody will stay clean, definitely. --runs off to start a bubble bath, throws in a rubber ducky, and sings the Rubber Ducky Song to annoy Shelly-- Seriously, I promise, it will stay clean. Um...yes. I DO know how long this story is going to be. But I can't tell you. Me and Shelly are still writing together if that gives you any ideas. (But did I say it was on THIS story? No...wow, I love messing with people's heads!) Let me just say I hope you're ready for a long haul! Awww...when people say this story makes their day it makes MY day! And, I can't say for Shelly, but when December rolls around remind me somehow, review or email, and I'll go take a look at your fics. Deal? And we'll keep rocking, always. :-)

DRUNKEN LANDLORD--As far as I know Shelly's not seen it. I came awfully close once, I was at a friend's house and we'd been talking about it for a few days so we were going to, but when we went to get it the tape was lost. I blame her brother. But even if I had seen and liked it I doubt it'd go in here, sorries. (Knowing what it's about I imagine that would be a rather scarring experience for the Fellowship...GAH! I don't think I could do that to them.) Also keep in mind we've written ahead quite a ways so it's hard to work in huge suggestions without a lot of work on our part...

nightwoman--Better late than never! The POV's was simply a way to keep from having to get into each other's minds, lol. (We both have very scary minds. Or at least I certainly do.) But I'm glad you like it! And there's many more fluffy moments to come, now that both couples are together! And I think we've technically WON them, it's just a matter of KEEPING them, lol...keep reading and reviewing!

Skakespirit--WAFFLE! YAY! Good to see ya! (See, Shelly, you're not the only one who can convince people to read it!) I have to admit...I wish I was my character, too, lol... Keep reviewing, please? See ya on DLBE!

Chapter Twenty-Six--The Council Of Relationships

Sarah POV

Despite the fact that we'd been up late, it was hard not to wake up when I felt sunshine on my eyelids. Carefully trying not to wake Frodo, I lifted my arm to glance at my watch. Seven. I started to move, but suddenly realized that I was wrapped in a blanket. WE were wrapped in a blanket. Frodo obviously hadn't moved an inch, because I would have woken up if he had, so there was no way he could have done it, and I certainly hadn't done it.

I pulled the blanket off and put it over to one side, then sat up and was about to shake him awake, but somehow the romantic in me won out over the worrywart. I leaned forward and kissed his cheek.

"Mmm?" His eyes fluttered open, blinking in the sunlight. Since Kimmie's room stays pretty dark with the curtains closed, it took him a moment to figure out where he was. I could tell when he remembered, though, because he looked up at me and smiled so sweetly. "Good morning, love."

My heart soared. Love. I giggled softly, nodding. "It IS a good morning." I leaned in and we kissed. His fingers found his way to my hair again and we were both pretty reluctant to pull back. When we finally did, though, worry filled my tone.

"Somebody knows," I said.

He frowned. "You mean about us?"

I nodded. "When I woke up, THIS was on top of us." I picked up the blanket and handed it to him.

He bit his lip. "Well...so, somebody knows." He looked up at me and shrugged. "Obviously they don't have a problem with it."

That honestly hadn't occurred to me. I blinked. "Right. I wonder who it was?"

He rolled his eyes. "Not Aragorn or Boromir, I would guess. And probably not Sam." He sighed.

"Shelly." I said. "I bet you anything it was Shelly. She's been teasing me about you all week, whenever I would come in from talking with you."

He smiled. "At least SOMEONE'S on our side. But we probably need to get back to the house."

"Oh yeah! If we hurry, everyone should still be asleep. It's right at seven."

"What about the blanket?"

"Well...if we carry it in, people are going to either figure it out, or OTHER assumptions will be made that I'd rather not have made..."

He tilted his head at me in confusion, not getting that one. Of course. Unlike this day and age, sex outside of marriage simply didn't happen in Middle-Earth. Well, I wasn't about to corrupt him, as I'd MUCH rather have a guy with that standard.

"Nevermind. At any rate, I vote we fold it up and leave it here."

He shrugged and stood, shaking the blanket out and finding two corners. I hadn't meant "we" literally, but I took the opposite corners and we folded it together. I shook my head. "You know, if it had been, say, Cody or Mike, or any other guy today, and I said that, they would have sat and let me fold it myself."

Frodo frowned. "Why?"

I shrugged. "Because the politeness requirements have gone WAY down since your day. But don't worry about it. It's one of the things I love about you." Conveniently we happened to be moving together to fold the blanket, so I took the corners out of his hands and leaned forward, giving him a quick kiss.

We left the blanket on the bench we'd been sitting on and started walking to the house. He wrapped his arm around my waist and I leaned my head on his shoulder, suddenly very grateful that he was normal human height for the time being.

When we got to the house, we stood at the bottom of the steps. "Now, we go in, change clothes, and fake like we're just up early," I said.

He smiled. "So this will have to last us most of the morning, until we can get alone again." He leaned in and we shared a long, deep kiss that left me in a daze for a few seconds.

I shook my head and sighed. "I really wish we could tell everyone. I don't like sneaking around."

He shrugged, smiling. "I wouldn't do it for just anyone, you know."

After that we went inside as silently as possible, tiptoeing through the living room. Frodo, still being a Hobbit, was better at sneaking than I was. I felt kind of loud and clumsy, watching him move down the hall without making a single sound. Boromir muttered something and for a second I was sure we were dead, but he settled back into sleep.

Once the door was shut behind me, I acted like I had just woken up and wasn't so paranoid about making a little noise. I quickly changed and was in the kitchen making cereal before Frodo showed back up.

While we were eating, Legolas came out in the main room, too. Frodo and I had been talking but dropped the conversation when he entered. "Good morning," he said, smiling a little too brightly. Somehow I couldn't help but think that Frodo and I were really obvious, even though we were sitting across from each other and weren't touching in any way.

"Good morning. I left the cereal and milk out," I said.

Legolas nodded and went to help himself, and sat between me and Frodo. Frodo and I exchanged a glace at that. It was a little bit strange.

After that, of course, everyone else started getting up, first Aragorn, then Shelly, and finally everyone else. As the last few were eating breakfast, Cody and Mike arrived to work for the day.

"If you all come up there, we'll be done soon enough to train in the afternoon," Mike said. I was kind of surprised that he and Cody were physically capable of doing ANYTHING after training the day before, and now they wanted to work and then train some more.

Shelly nodded. "The guys can go with you, but Sarah and I have some housework to do." That was true, the whole place needed vacuuming and dusting, plus the Fellowship had worn all the clothes we'd bought for them twice, so we had to do laundry again.

I exchanged a smile with Frodo as they all left. "See you soon," I mouthed, hoping no one noticed.

The guys drove up to camp in the truck again.

"So, what time did you and Frodo wake up this morning?" Shelly asked as soon as the guys were out of earshot.

I felt myself flush. "When I got up, Frodo and Legolas were already awake and in the dining room." Hopefully she wouldn't ask Legolas about it, because it had been me and Frodo when Legolas showed up.

"Sure, Sarah, and where were you last night when Sam couldn't find Frodo?"

_CRAP! We are SO dead!_ I was paralyzed at that.

"Don't worry, Legolas and I covered for you and sent Sam to bed. Now, tell me the truth. What happened last night?"

Shelly was grinning a little too evilly for my taste. She KNEW, and she knew that I knew that she knew. I decided to use her own line back at her. "I'll tell you tomorrow, maybe," I said, walking toward the kitchen to start the dishes.

"Okay, fine. I'll dish first. Legolas told me he loved me."

A bright smile crossed my face and I immediately came back and sat down across from her. "When?!"

She immediately filled me in on what had been going on the past four days. "After Legolas found you last night, we decided that I could tell you. I don't want everyone to know. I don't think they would understand."

"That's what Frodo and I decided, too," I told her.

"Oh, so there is a you and Frodo."

_Dangit! At least I was going to tell her anyway. But I'm going to have to watch my mouth better than that when the guys get back!_ I felt myself blush again, but told Shelly everything--well, not in detail--and she admitted that Legolas had been the one to leave the blanket.

We cleaned the house while the washer, dryer, and dishwasher ran, and by the time we were done the guys had gotten back. Sam and I heated up the leftover nacho stuff and we all had lunch. Frodo, of course, went out of his way to sit by me. Our knees kept bumping under the table, and I had to fight hard to keep a blush from rising to my cheeks, since I'm not sure it was always an accident.

After lunch, we all went outside for training. While Gimli practiced his axe and Legolas taught Cody and Mike the bow and arrow and tried to help Shelly--who, apparently, STILL just couldn't get hang of the aim, though now I knew why--I worked with the rest of the guys on my sword skills.

Aragorn taught me several new strokes and made me practice them for about an hour. About that time Legolas and the others finished up with archery for the day, and came to watch as Aragorn set up the different pairs of sparring partners. "Okay, Pippin, you're out for the minute since Sarah needs your sword, so then, Merry and Boromir, Sam and me, and then Sarah and Frodo." Again I fought the blood creeping towards my face on hearing Aragorn refer to Frodo and myself as a pair.

Now that he'd declared his feelings and had to try harder to hide them, Frodo was wiling to put a little more fight into it and for a while I figured I'd lose again, even with my new moves. Suddenly, though, I remembered "The Mask of Zorro" again and knew how I could beat him.

The sword part of my plan wasn't a move I had actually been taught, but after the training I'd already had I was pretty sure I could make it work. Our blades crashed together and we slid them past each other down to the hilts, making the swords into a big "V" between us and bringing the two of us very close together. I wasn't sure if I should go through with it, but I figured everyone would think that I was just using a distracion, so I went ahead did it. Before Frodo could pull back and take another stroke, I quickly kissed him on the lips.

After that it was an easy win. Once I'd knocked Sting out of Frodo's hand and posed for a moment with my own blade pointed at his chest, I took a bow and handed Sting back to him.

Boromir was the first to comment. "It seems the lady has figured out that sometimes the best defense is a good distraction," he said.

I shrugged, grinning evilly. "It worked, didn't it?"

Aragorn laughed. "That may work on young Master Frodo, but I suggest you keep practicing, because I doubt you'd want to try that tactic on an orc."

"Eww..." I said, shaking my head, trying to get rid of the mental image.

Legolas sidled up next to Aragorn. "I bet Arwen could beat you if she tried that move," which of course got a hearty laugh from everyone.

Aragorn held up his hands. "Now, now, let's leave the Lady Undomiel out of this." Shelly and I had to giggle at that.

We all practiced swords for another hour or so, then went inside. Cody and Mike left, and the rest of the guys decided that they wanted to watch a movie, so I put in "The Mask of Zorro," since it had been on my mind for several days.

I sat on one end of the couch, and Frodo sat next to me. I put my hands in my lap so that he wouldn't be tempted to take one and give us away.

Shelly took Legolas off into her room, presumably to show him pictures like she'd promised several days before. I nudged Frodo and he turned to look at me. I nodded toward Shelly and Legolas, disappearing down the hall. "Them too," I mouthed, and he turned to look. He turned back to me, one eyebrow raised.

I nodded, smiling. "They know," I whispered. "Blanket." Then, before it got conspicuous, I tried to focus on the movie.

After a few moments, though, it really didn't matter. Pippin got up to go ask Shelly something. The next thing everyone heard--and EVERYONE defnitely heard--was "SHELLY AND LEGOLAS WERE KISSING!!!"

I winced, but I doubt anyone noticed as everyone's attention was on Pippin, who leaned around the corner and said it again. "Shelly and Legolas were kissing!"

"PIPPIN!" Shelly screamed. A loud scuffling coming from her room. "FOOL OF A TOOK! I'M GONNA KILL YOU!" Pippin's eyes became saucers and he sprinted across the living room, Shelly chasing close behind him. Even though he almost tripped over the coffee table, he managed to get through and into the computer room, slamming the door behind him.

Legolas stood in the entrance to the hall as Shelly tried to open the door and get at Pippin. There's no lock on that door. "What have you done, Peregrin Took?"

"The chair is wedged under the door!" he yelled. "I'm not coming out until you promise not to hurt me!"

I was giggling insanely by then. Between Shelly's fury, and her using Pippin's full name, and his being smart enough to lock himself in, it was all just kind of funny.

Aragorn was the first to regain his composure. "Shelly, I think that we all--as a group--need to discuss this. Why don't we all sit and calm down?"

She whirled to face him, face red as a tomato. "But he--"

Legolas said from the entrance to the hall, "It's no use. Our secret's out. Killing him would serve no purpose." He was trying to be funny, to alleviate the situation. He added, with a smirk, "I told you they would find out eventually."

Shelly sighed. "All right. Pippin, I'm not going to kill you, okay? I'm sorry I freaked out like that."

A few seconds passed before the door opened a crack. "Are you sure?"

"Come on out, Pippin," Legolas said. "I won't let her hurt you."

He came out, fear still lingering in his expression. _Poor guy._ I giggled a little bit more. Legolas and Shelly pulled two of the chairs over across from the couch and sat. Merry and Pippin were at the other end of the couch, Gimli was in the armchair, and Aragorn was sandwiched between Sam and Boromir on the loveseat.

"Now," said Aragorn, taking charge, "What seems to be going on here?"

Legolas spoke first. "I have fallen in love with Shelly, and she returns my affections."

"Shelly, is this true?" Aragorn asked.

"Yes." She didn't say any more than that, but took Legolas' hand. Their fingers intertwined out of reflex.

"Well, this certainly complicates matters," Boromir said.

"It isn't right, laddie," Gimli said. "You'll have to leave her."

"We've already talked about it," Shelly said. "We know about all that. We just don't care right now, and we'll cross those bridges when we get there."

Legolas nodded. "We have decided that we'd rather spend time together now and have the memories, however bittersweet, than to have nothing at all."

"That's all good and well now, but what are you going to do when the time actually comes to go?" Boromir pointed out.

"Oh, shush," I said. "If they're happy right now and they've already made their decision, what difference does it make to the rest of you?"

I think Merry and Pippin agreed with that, because they were looking kind of bored at the whole thing. I figured the only reason they would care is that it would give them someone to tease.

"It makes a lot of difference!" Aragorn said. "Don't you understand that those of the Eldar can die of grief?"

Boromir looked up. "We will need Legolas' skills to complete our quest."

"What would you have me do, Estel?" Legolas asked softly. "Deny my feelings and spend the rest of our time here in misery as well as the time after our return?" That caught Aragorn off guard. Legolas went on. "I admit that perhaps, in the long run, I might be better off if I did not feel this way, but it's too late to change my heart. I can't back up time and NOT fall in love now, and even if I had that opportunity, I couldn't bring myself to take it."

Shelly smiled softly at the romance in that and squeezed his hand. "I know that this isn't the ideal relationship, but like he said, it's too late to change things. Please, can't you all just let us be happy for now? And who knows, maybe someday we'll figure out a way to be together."

I looked up, and Frodo did as well. We hadn't thought of that, but now my mind was going a million miles an hour. _If they figure out how to get back, then maybe it will work more than once!_ I tried to drive the thought out of my mind, to focus on the situation at hand and not get my hopes up.

"And what if you do, lassie?" Gimli asked, for once speaking softly and with sympathy. "Even if you both choose one world or the other and stay together, you are still mortal."

"And after her time is over, mine will be as well," Legolas said. "I could not live knowing that Shelly no longer walked the earth."

"Legolas--" Aragorn started, but Legolas cut him off.

"Estel, I simply want to do for Shelly what you want Arwen to do for you. Though I must admit I have not yet convinced her to let me. Still, that is my choice."

Aragorn had no comeback for that.

Gimli settled back in his chair, no more thoughts on the matter. Merry and Pippin didn't really care, if Sam had any objections he didn't voice them, and Frodo obviously wasn't going to argue against them.

Boromir paused. "If they have chosen this fate, the appropriate consequences will follow. And if none do, then they are wiser than the rest of us. I am just glad it's not me."

At last Aragorn sighed. "All right, mellon nin. If this is what you want and the lady does not object, who am I to interfere?" He shook his head, helpless to fight.

Legolas smiled. "Thank you, Estel." With that he leaned over and kissed Shelly on the cheek, making her blush brightly.

"Are there any other objections?" Shelly asked.

No one spoke for a moment.

Suddenly, Frodo turned to me. "Do you suppose there's any point in keeping secrets now?"

I smiled widely and shook my head. "No, not really." I wasn't quite sure what he was planning but I really wanted everyone to know about us so we wouldn't have to sneak off all the time.

With that, pulled me into his arms and kissed me passionately, right in front of everyone. I'm sure my face was redder than a stop sign, but it didn't stop me from kissing back.

"Mr. Frodo!" Sam cried. "Really!" I suppose he thought we were being indecent, as his cheeks flushed. Either that or we'd made him think of Rosie.

Frodo pulled back and looked around, nervous smile on his face. I bit my lip, waiting for someone, anyone, to comment.

Aragorn raised an eyebrow. "Well. Frodo. Um..."

"Oh, let them be," Gimli said. "They've probably had the same discussions as the Elfling and his girl. And Frodo is mortal, so there are no worries there."

I nodded. "Yeah, what he said!"

"But, Mr. Frodo..." Sam started. "When we leave--"

Frodo shook his head. "We HAVE talked about it, and I will leave, too. Though it will not be an easy task."

I took his hand.

"But you are the Ringbearer!" Boromir said.

Legolas came to our defense. "Pleasant memories will make his journey easier, and it is easier to fight when you know exactly what you're fighting for."

Aragorn's eyes went kind of distant, and I wondered if he was thinking of the elf-maiden he was fighting for. At last he sighed, holding up his hands. "Fine. Fine. Apparently there's no stopping love. I'm not going to fight it. It would be easier to take on a horde of Orcs singlehandedly."

I giggled. "You got that right," I said.

Suddenly Shelly spoke up. "Okay, guys, now you all know, but you all have to SWEAR not to tell Cody or Mike. They'll just cause more problems and say that we're messing up your story and stuff."

"Are you?" Gimli asked.

"I don't think so," I said. "But I can't explain myself without telling you things that WOULD make you mess it up."

"Are you in the books?" Boromir asked.

"Can't answer that," Shelly said. "Just, please, don't tell Cody and Mike, okay, guys?"

They all agreed to keep it secret when Cody and Mike were around.

"That goes double for you, PEREGRIN," Shelly said.

Pippin cowered in his seat. "Of course," he squeaked. "Secret. Absolutely."

Shelly giggled, his cuteness making her relent a little. "I'm not that mad at you, Pippin. At least now Legolas and I don't have to sneak around. We can be mushy ALL the time." She mischieviously leaned over and kissed Legolas' cheek, causing Legolas to put his arm around her shoulders.

Merry rolled his eyes and elbowed his cousin's arm, frowning. "Nice going, Pip."

A/N: Review and the next time Shelly goes insane Peregrin will hide at your house! ;-)


	27. Desperately Seeking Privacy

DISCLAIMER: We don't own LOTR, we wish we did, but we don't. If we did, this would have really happened.

Authoress's Notes:

SHELLY: Yay!! Everyone knows about Leggy and me and Sarah and Frodo. Yippiee!! Now, what will they do???

Chapter Twenty-Seven--Desperately Seeking Privacy

Shelly POV

Watching everyone sit in a circle like that reminded me of the Council of Elrond. I'm just glad they all gave their approval. I have to admit, it did feel good to have everyone know about Legolas and me, but it also got me to thinking about how Legolas and I would really survive once he went back to Middle-Earth.

After the little council ended, they started the movie again. Legolas and I decided to stay and watch. Legolas was really enjoying the movie, but he never let go of my hand. I rather liked that. After Sarah and Sam made dinner, Legolas, Frodo, Pippin, and Merry began playing GameCube. They quickly got involved in their game, so I slipped out the back door. A few minutes later, Aragorn and Gimli followed.

"Now, lass, what are you doing out here?" Gimli asked.

"Legolas will notice your absence soon, if he hasn't already," Aragorn said.

"I know, but I've been thinking ever since we had our discussion earlier," I started. "Can I talk to the two of you about something in secret? I really don't want Legolas to know yet."

"Sure, my lady. We will guard your secret. Won't we, Gimli?" Aragron said, and Gimli nodded his head.

"Well, Aragorn, when did you first know you loved Arwen?"

"The first time I saw her. I had been singing the Lay of Lúthien and she walked by. I believe I loved her from that moment. She, however, took a little more convincing." He smiled when he reached that part. "But surely you know that you love Legolas?"

"Yes, but how can I let him give up his life for me? I don't want that any more than the two of you do."

"Shelly, if I could stop Arwen from giving up her life, I would, in a heartbeat. However, elves can be more stubborn than dwarves," Aragorn said, trying to lighten the mood a little. "The truth is, I love her so much that I'd gladly lay down my life for her. She feels the same way, although I do not understand why the Valar blessed me with her." Aragorn stopped, his eyes brimming with unshed tears.

I knew what would happen, so I was a little sad. However, they would have so much time together. Legolas and I would not.

Suddenly, Gimli spoke up. "Lass, I know I voiced my reasons against you and the Elf prince. I felt you needed to hear them. But, I also know if the two of you do not take the time you have together, he will surely die on our return to Middle-Earth."

"No offense, Master Dwarf, but how do you know? What do you know of love?" I asked him.

"I know more than you think. I had a love once, long ago. Lucky for me, she felt the same. I wasted time, waiting. I finally told her my feelings. We were married the following spring. She died not long after that, and I would give anything to have one more day, one more hour, or even one more minute with her. However, if I had never told her of my feelings, it would have been far worse for me." He paused for a minute, wiping his eyes. "As it was, it took a long time for me to get over her. I loved her deeply and I always will. No matter how long she's been gone, I will always love her." With that, he turned and went into the house.

Aragorn and I watched him go in.

Then, I turned and faced the railing. "Wow, I never knew that about Gimli," I said, after a moment. _No wonder Gimli speaks his mind._

"The dwarf knows true love. I don't think anyone else in the Fellowship knows what he has just told us. He must like Legolas more than he pretends to, since he told you all that so you and Legolas would stay together." He stopped as I heard the door open. "Well, I think I've had enough air to last me, I'll be going in now." With that he walked in the door and I turned to go in as well, but stopped when I saw Legolas standing there.

"So, my darling, what were the three of you talking about?"

"Love," I told him, as he wrapped his strong arms around my waist.

"Why?" he asked, slightly confused.

"Because I needed two expert opinions on the subject."

He pulled me to him and brought his forehead to mine. "And what did they tell you?"

"Only that they support us."

"That's all?" Legolas asked, disbelieving.

"That's all. But I need to talk to you about something," I said, pulling away.

"What's wrong, Shelly? If you hurt, so do I," he said, worriedly.

"No, it's nothing like that. I need you to promise me something."

"What?"

"When Frodo goes back and you go with him, I need you to promise me that even if we never figure out a way for us to be together, you will not allow yourself to fade. You will watch over Frodo for as long as you can, then, once it is all over, if you win, you must watch over Aragorn, Arwen, Gimli and any of the others. Then, someday, when Aragorn dies, you will carry your love for me across the sea, where it will be evergreen."

He frowned. "I cannot promise that. Without you, I am only one-half of a whole."

"You must. I will miss you as well, but you do have other responsibilities. I do not know for sure what will happen, but I do know that without you they are more likely to fail. You will go, and you will not fade. If you cannot promise me this, I don't know what I will do. They need you," I told him in a whisper.

He pulled me back into his arms. "But I need YOU." Legolas said.

"Promise me."

"I promise that I will try," he said.

"That's the best you can do. I love you, Legolas, my darling. I wish we had longer together, but we'll make the best of what we have." With that, I kissed him with everything I had.

When I broke the kiss, he grinned. "Now that's more like it." He pulled me closer and began to kiss me again, when we heard someone clear their throat. We turned, and there stood Boromir. I felt myself begin to blush.

"What is it, Boromir?" said Legolas.

"Sarah is looking for Shelly," Boromir said. "I thought you might be out here, so..."

"Tell Sarah I'm busy." And with that I pulled Legolas back into another kiss. When I pulled away, Sarah, Frodo, Boromir, and Sam were all standing there, with their mouths dropped open.

"What?" I asked, slightly out of breath.

"I just wanted to know if you wanted ice cream," Sarah said.

"I don't. How about you, dear?"

"No, I'm fine." Bormir and Sam were still standing there with open mouths. Frodo and Sarah had somewhat of a knowing smile on.

"What are you two gaping at?" Legolas asked Boromir and Sam.

Sam's face suddenly matched a stop sign. "You and he were kissin' an awfully long time, Shelly. I thought maybe there was something wrong."

"I must admit, that is rather dishonorable, Legolas," said Boromir.

"Boromir, I kissed him," I said, rolling my eyes.

"But his hands..."

I stopped him. "Are on my back. My arms are around his neck. Have you never seen anyone kiss before, Boromir?"

Boromir blushed and turned around. Sarah and Frodo winked at us, then, went inside.

"Amin nowe ron n'kelaya," Legolas said once the door closed.

"What does that mean?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I thought they'd never leave."

"I know what you mean."

After that, he swept me into a kiss that was more passionate than any we'd shared yet. We were interrupted yet again, however, when we heard snickering. We turned and saw MERRY AND PIPPIN.

"What can we do for you?" Legolas asked, rather politely.

"We just wanted to sing you a song we learned," Pippin announced.

Legolas and I looked at each other. They would never leave if we didn't.

"All right, go ahead, Pip," I sighed.

They walked out onto the porch and stood in the middle facing us, and began in unison, "Shelly and Leggy, sittin' in a tree, K-I-S-I-N-G."

I almost screamed. "STOP RIGHT NOW!! First of all, that's not how you spell it, and second of all, where did you learn that song??"

"Cody taught it to us. Only he used different names," Merry said, giggling.

"Now, my turn," Legolas said, "Why did you call me Leggy?"

"That's what Sarah called you," Pippin volunteered.

"When did she say that?" I asked.

"Just a second ago. She said, 'Boy, Shelly and Leggy sure are in love.'" Pippin said.

"Well, Fool of a Took and Brandybuck, go back inside and tell Sarah I said if you leave me and LEG-O-LAS alone, you can have more ice cream." The two scampered back into the house, happy for the moment.

"Leggy? Why would she call me that?" Legolas said.

"That's the nickname a lot of people use for the movie character. Maybe I should give you a nickname. Let's see. Do you mind being called Leggy?" I asked him.

"Yes."

"What about Legs?"

He shook his head.

"Prince Charming? Leggyness? Leggums?"

"LEGGUMS, never. If anyone but you had said that, I might have killed them. No, I do not like Leggyness, but who is this Prince Charming?" Legolas asked.

"Prince Charming is the handsome Prince in a fairy tale."

"What is a fairy tale?"

"Well, it's a story that usually begins 'Once upon a time...' and ends with 'Happily ever after.' In between, a girl and a boy meet, fall in love, and get married. Not all of them are like that, but most of them are."

"So, we are like a fairy tale?" Legolas asked.

"Well, kind of, I guess. I never thought of it like that. However, all of them end with happily ever after. We won't end like that."

"No, but we can have a happily 'for now.'" Legolas said.

"I guess we can," I said, grinning at him.

"So, tell me a fairy tale."

I smiled and told him the story of Cinderella and the glass slipper. When I finished, Legolas nodded thoughtfully. "I think we better go back in, before we are interrupted again," he said, looking toward the door. I turned and saw Merry and Pippin about to turn the doorknob.

"Ya know, they left us alone a whole lot more before they knew about us," I said, taking his hand.

"Well, we'll have to make them regret not leaving us alone."

"How are we going to do that?"

"By being, what's the word you used, mushy?"

"Yes, that's it. It means romantic."

"We'll just be more mushy around them, until they beg us to leave," Legolas said, a slightly evil smirk on his face.

I grinned. "Honey, I think I'm beginning to rub off on you," I said, as we went into the house.

"By the way, we never did discuss what you owe me for last night," he said.

"Nope, I guess we didn't. Just don't make it too terrible, all right?" I said, noticing a mischievous glint in my boyfriend's eye.

"Close your eyes and it will be over quickly," he whispered.

By now, we were standing in the living room, in front of everyone. I obeyed, even though I was a little worried. He loved me though, it wouldn't be too terrible. I hoped.

He pulled me into his arms and began to kiss me. Naturally, out of reflex, I kissed back. In the middle of the kiss, I realized what he was doing. So, in true Hollywood fashion, I popped my foot up. When we pulled apart, I looked around the room. Sam was beet red, Aragorn, Gimli, and Boromir were grinning, Merry and Pippin were making gagging noises, and Frodo and Sarah were copying us.

Legolas whispered, "Now, was that so bad?"

I couldn't help but giggle. "No, that wasn't bad at all."

We sat down on the couch and he slipped his arm around me. I adjusted my head to be on his shoulder. Soon, though, Frodo came over and asked Legolas to step outside with him.

Sarah came over and sat down once they left.

"What's going on?" I asked her.

"What do you mean?"

"Your boyfriend and mine are outside talking. What's going on?"

"I honestly don't know. Frodo wouldn't tell me." She looked innocent enough, and they came in laughing a few minutes later.

Once Legolas sat back down, I whispered, "What's going on?"

"Frodo just wanted to make sure my intentions were honorable, especially after that trick we played on him once."

I grinned at him. "He really takes this brother stuff serious, huh?" I said.

"Let's put it this way, Shelly. He said if I ever hurt you he would personally kill me," Legolas said, with a grin.

"So what did you say?"

"That I would never hurt you, the same way he would never hurt Sarah." Legolas said. "Now, what do you want to do?" he asked me.

"Oh, I could think of a few things," I said, leaning toward him. He took my hint and kissed me lightly. A few minutes later, Aragorn came over.

"Would you two be a little less affectionate in front of us? It really is quite improper," Aragorn said.

"Well, mellon nin, if we were left alone, we wouldn't have to be as affectionate in front of you. However, since we are continuously being interrupted, we gave up on privacy and came in here."

"Well, I'll try to keep Merry and Pippin entertained next time the two of you go outside," Aragorn said with a laugh.

"Thanks, Aragorn. We would really appreciate it," I said, smiling at Legolas. Then, the guys decided to play some more Nintendo.

"Legolas, Frodo, come on. If you two don't play, Merry will slaughter me," said Pippin.

Legolas looked at me, "Do you care, mellamin?"

"No, go ahead," I told him. Frodo and Legolas both began to play. Once they beat Merry and Pippin, the losers began to switch off. After my boyfriend and Frodo been playing for about an hour, I decided they had won long enough. I walked up behind Legolas' chair and draped my arms around him. Pippin instantly began to win in their fight. Then, I whispered in his ear and Pippin killed him. Once the game was over, Pippin had actually beaten Legolas, which meant Legolas had to surrender his controller.

He turned around and said, "You do know that this means war?"

"Oh, is someone a little sad that they were beaten?" I asked, putting a pouty look on my face.

Legolas started to walk toward me and I started walking backward. Unfortunately, I forgot the couch was behind me and I fell onto it. Legolas immediately took advantage of the situation and began to tickle me unmercifully.

"Legolas, stop, please stop!" I begged, my eyes beginning to water.

Finally, he did and I sat up to catch my breath.

"That will teach you to mess with me," he said with a triumphant grin on his face.

"Let's think about this, tease my boyfriend and have him tickle me. Yes, that sounds like torture, doesn't it?" I said, thinking quickly.

His smile faltered a bit. "Don't worry. Next time, I'll just beat you at the game instead." I told him.

"Yeah right, you couldn't beat me." I grinned at him.

"You wanna bet on that?" I asked him.

"Sure, what's the bet?" Legolas said. This could take some thinking.

"The loser has to do whatever the winner says for one day," I said.

"That sounds like a good bet. When shall we play?" he asked, probably already thinking of things to make me do.

"Once everyone goes to bed," I told him. A little while later, when everyone got up to head to bed, Legolas and I grabbed the controllers and began to play a round of Bond to 15. It took us a long time, but in the end, I won by one point.

After that, Legolas sulked for a minute, so I said, "Well, you're still much better at the bow than me."

He laughed at that. Then, he walked me to my door and kissed me good night. "I'll see you in the morning, Mistress Shelly."

A/N: YAY!! I got to kiss my legolas more than once. Yippiee for me. Now, I'm his mistress. What will I make him do??? Read and Review. If you review, maybe I will send Merry over with some cookies for you. :) But flames will merely burn the cookies.


	28. Fish in a Tank

DISCLAIMER: We do not own LotR. If we did, there would be references to it on Lost...

Authoress's Notes:

SARAH: And here I thought it would be a good idea to let everyone know...go me. Enjoy!

Chapter Twenty-Eight--Fish in a Tank

Sarah POV

It was nice to have our secret out, really. It'd just plain be easier to deal day-to-day if we could be affectionate without having to worry about who was walking in.

We finished watching the movie, but I don't remember anything about it between pressing play and the credits. I was snuggled against Frodo, and he kept his arm draped over my shoulder. After the movie, the Fellowship kind of disbursed throughout the house to wait for dinner. Sam immediately headed for the kitchen. Merry and Pippin asked if they could turn on the GameCube, but I thought better of it. "Guys, we're going to eat in, like, thirty mintues. I think you'll live without a controller glued to your hands. Besides, I want the credits on this movie to play." I sat up and stretched, turning to Frodo. "Sorry, love, duty calls. Save me a seat, 'kay?"

"Of course," Frodo smiled.

"Listen to this song." I kissed him on the cheek and then headed for the kitchen. I smiled softly, hearing the words in the kitchen. I softly half-hummed, half-sang along. "We are dreaming, race the moon, catch the wind, mmm mmm mmm, mmm mmm mmm, seize the day, mmm..."

Sam stopped what he'd been doing and stared at me. "Sarah?"

"Hmm?"

"You were singing."

I shrugged. "Yeah, and? Did it hurt? I'll stop."

He smiled. "No, it was all right. You might sing for Mr. Frodo, he'd like that."

I raised an eyebrow, but smiled. I guess he did just want to see Frodo happy. "We'll see." I rolled my eyes and continued humming.

"It's a lovely song, Sarah!" Frodo called as the last notes played. "How do you turn this thing off?" I called back instructions, and then Frodo came and took a seat at the table, placing his feet in the chair next to him. I smiled, watching him.

Sam poked my arm. "The micro-thingy stopped."

I suddenly returned to reality. "MicroWAVE, Sam. It's not a hard word." I moved and went back to what I'd been doing. We'd settled on a simple meal, just reheating leftovers.

Of course, when the food was ready, Frodo moved his feet and let me sit. As everyone else started trickling in, Frodo turned to me, speaking softly. "That song..." he started.

I smiled. "Yeah, I meant it."

His eyes softened and he smiled at me. We didn't even lean in to kiss, but suddenly Merry said, "Oh, come, cousin, not at the dinner table at least!"

I should have been annoyed, I guess, but I cracked up. "Fine, fine." I looked over at Merry. "Not this time."

Merry's eyes widened, and then he just scowled at us, making me laugh again.

After dinner everyone kind of split up again, moving around wherever fancy took them. Frodo and I went out on the front porch for a while, but it wasn't like we were granted any kind of privacy with the huge window behind us. He did hold me close and we just talked, except one time when Merry and Pippin were at the window.

"Don't look over at the window," I said, "But your cousins are watching us." Frodo sighed, but I laughed softly. "I know how to get rid of them," I said.

"How?"

"Well, we give them something to watch," I said. I leaned in, nuzzling my nose against his, and he got the clue, leaning in to kiss me. I giggled when I heard Merry and Pippin making gagging noises behind us. I turned around to face the window, smiling brightly. "Hi guys!" I said, waving cheerfully. "Go away!"

They were more than happy to oblige.

I turned to Frodo. "Let's go in. There's no point in being out here if we're just going to be fish in an aquarium for everyone to gawk at."

"Aquarium?"

I smiled. "I'll explain inside." We went in, and I called, "Anyone want ice cream?" Immediately the guys started lining up by the kitchen. Frodo helped me dish it up, and while the guys were all right there, I very loudly explained to him what an aquarium was, and how trapped the poor fish must feel with everyone staring at them all the time. Boromir picked up on it and was trying to hide his smile. "Hey, Boromir, would you go see if Shelly and Legolas want any?" I asked. When he didn't return quickly we went after him, and, of course, found Shelly and Legolas trying to get some time alone. I smiled, watching them try to fight everyone off. I looked over at Frodo, who was smiling sympathetically. We winked over at Shelly and Legolas and returned to the dining room. "Boy, Shelly and Leggy sure are in love," I said. I looked over at Frodo, smiling. "It's a great feeling, isn't it?"

He just smiled back at me. "Incredibly undescribably wonderful."

The four Hobbits and I sat at the table and everyone else sat on the couches, eating our ice cream. The fact that Frodo and I had one bowl and two spoons between us apparently did not go unnoticed.

"You two are strange," Merry said. "Isn't that kind of...you know...disgusting?"

I took another bite before I answered. "Not really," I said. "I mean, after you've touched someone else's mouth with your own, you don't really worry about eating out of the same dish with them."

Merry and Pippin both made gagging noises and got up to go sit in the living room. I giggled, and Frodo just rolled his eyes. "You know, they'll be just as bad the other way when they fall in love," he pointed out.

I winced. "Ouch..." I thought vaguely of two Hobbit lasses called Diamond and Estella, and I pitied whichever of the two fell in love second, because he'd be subject to the other one.

A few moments later, though, they were back, begging more ice cream, saying Shelly had okayed it. I sighed and gave it to them, more to get them off my case than anything. They moved to go take it and eat it on the back porch, but Shelly and Legolas came inside before they could pull anything else. As revenge, Shelly and Legolas shared a long, rather passionate kiss right in front of everyone. I giggled, seeing Sam blush and turn away. Merry and Pippin kept gagging at each other, but everyone else was grinning.

I looked over at Frodo. "You know, everyone's attention is over that way..."

That was all the encouragement he needed to kiss me square on the lips. Poor Sam wasn't sure which way to look.

After that, Shelly and Legolas settled on the couch. Frodo frowned a little. "If you'll excuse me for a moment, Sarah, I need to talk to Legolas."

"What for?"

He smiled. "Don't worry about it. I just need to ask him something."

I shrugged. "Don't take too long," I said. He and Legolas stepped out on the back porch and I went in the living room, plunking down next to Shelly.

"What's going on?" Shelly asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Your boyfriend and mine are outside talking. What's going on?"

"I honestly don't know. Frodo wouldn't tell me."

It was just a moment before the guys came back. I let Legolas have his seat back, and Frodo and I sat on the loveseat. We finished our ice cream, and then I had to surrender my boyfriend to the GameCube. I got my draw stuff and sat where Legolas had been sitting, making random sketches. After a while, Shelly got tired of playing second fiddle to a video game, so she distracted Legolas and made him lose so that he had to trade out with Aragorn. Legolas was not happy and he managed to tackle and tickle her. At last it got close to bedtime. Apparently Shelly and Legolas has a score to settle on the GameCube, because they stayed out in the living room. Frodo and I kind of lingered in the hall, not really wanting to go off to our respective rooms. While everyone else was walking up and down the hall, heading to their room, or the bathroom to change or, in one case, exchanging goodnight kisses, we just kind of stood there in the hall and talked.

"What are you thinking?" Frodo asked me, out of the blue.

I blushed. "I'm trying to rework the sleeping arrangements." He didn't have to ask me why. "No matter what I do it won't work. You can't put a couple on the waterbed, Shelly won't sleep anywhere but her room anyway, you can't put a couple in the living room because that defeats the point of privacy, and you can't put a couple in Kimmie's room for the same reason. Unless both couples were in Kimmie's room, but would you want to sleep in one bed if you knew Shelly and Legolas were over in the other?"

"Not really."

I sighed. "So only one couple can be alone, and since it would have to be Shelly's room she would have dibs."

"Dibs?"

I smiled. "Rights. She would determine who got to use her room."

He nodded. "Well, there's no room inside...but we weren't inside last night." I tilted my head. "The porch swing?" he said, smiling "innocently".

I smiled. "Let me talk to Shell for a minute. Wait here." Shelly was in her room getting ready to change, and I went in there. "Hey, Shell, you want Legolas to sleep in here?"

She looked up at me. "Don't tell me you're offering to go sleep on the waterbed with Gimli."

"Eww, NO! I oughta smack you for that one." I rolled my eyes. "Frodo and I were thinking of sleeping on the porch swing, so Leggy could come in here, if tomorrow night you and Leggy want the porch swing and me and Frodo can sleep in here. We can keep trading off."

Shelly nodded. "What if it rains?"

I shrugged. "If it rains that bad, we'll come up with something else. The way the weather's been, I highly doubt that that will happen anytime soon."

"Let me ask Legolas," she said, leaving the room. When she came back, Legolas was with her.

"I'll take that as a yes, then," I said, leaving them alone, and meeting Frodo in the hall. "Come on, grab a blanket. And a pillow," I said, smiling. "I'll be waiting on the swing." He smiled and ran off to get the blanket, and probably tell Sam the plan. A moment later we were out on the porch.

Frodo put the pillow over one arm of the swing, leaned back against it, and then I sat next to him and leaned back against him. I felt his arms wrap around me.

"Tomorrow," I said, "Shelly and Legolas will sleep out here and we get the bed."

He smiled. "What are we doing tomorrow?"

"Training some more, I guess. What did you tell Sam?"

"That I was spending the night with you, what else?"

I shrugged. "He wasn't upset?"

"No, I think he understands." He paused. "Do you remember the first night we were here and we watched the movie about us?"

"How could I forget?"

"Remember I made him dance with Rosie Cotton, and he was blushing while we watched it?"

I laughed lightly. "So that DID happen. It was really obvious how he feels about her."

"So you could tell. Well, he won't admit it, at least not out loud."

I smiled softly. "He will, and I'm not saying that because of anything I've read. I saw the look on his face."

Frodo nodded. "I know." He leaned down and kissed my hair. "I love you."

I smiled, and quoted him a song lyric. "You are the one I adore." I snuggled back against his chest, and his hold on me tightened ever so slightly. Safe in his arms, I was soon asleep.

When morning came, I awoke to Frodo's fingers tangled in my hair, playing with it softly. I smiled and opened my eyes, turning in his arms to kiss him good morning. However, while caught up in this rather personal exchange of affections, I suddenly heard noise at the window. I backed off and turned around to find Merry and Pippin staring again. Honestly, for all the fuss they made about how nasty it was, you'd think they'd quit spying. Suddenly Boromir was behind them and grabbed them each by their collars, hauling them away from the window. I smiled gratefully at him and turned back to Frodo.

"There is no peace," he said, laughing. "Not with my idiot cousins around."

I laughed. "Well, they can be sweet in their own ways. But this is not one of them. Come on, let's go on in, there's no privacy here anyway."

We went in, and I immediately went to the kitchen to help Sam with breakfast. As everyone else was eating, I went and changed and came back to the table to sit with Frodo.

The day passed pretty uneventfully. Cody and Mike showed up after breakfast and we trained until lunch, then the guys put in a movie. Shelly, Legolas, Frodo and I all conveniently didn't feel like watching and headed off to "take walks," and didn't get back until it was nearly time for dinner. As Sam and I heated up the last of the leftovers we had, I started poking around the kitchen. I looked around in dismay. "I have GOT to go grocery shopping!" I cried. "Shell, can you hold down the fort if I go right after dinner?"

Mike shrugged. "You can go tomorrow, it's not a big deal."

I sighed. "It IS a big deal. If I don't go tonight there will be no breakfast in the morning."

Everyone dropped what they were doing to stare at me.

Pippin frowned. "Well, then, you'd better go tonight if you can. It's bad enough that you only have one breakfast in this world."

I laughed. "Yeah. I thought so. Good thing Wal-Mart's open 24/7." At their blank looks I explained, "Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. In other words, it never closes."

Aragorn frowned. "Why?"

I shrugged. "In this day and age, people actually do have legitimate reasons to do their shopping at three o'clock in the morning, sometimes. Anyway, does anyone want to come along? I'm not taking you all but I'll take two or three if anyone wants to go." Frodo raised his hand as I had figured he would, and seeing that, Sam shot his hand up, too. No one else volunteered. "Okay, then," I said, finally taking a seat at the table next to Frodo.

Cody and Mike left as soon as we were done eating. Shelly and Legolas offered to do the dishes, and I ran off, hunting down two pairs of the shoes we'd made the Hobbits wear the first time we'd all gone into town. "You know," I said, "On second thought, you can just take them along and you don't actually have to put them on until we get into town if you don't want."

Frodo and Sam both smiled gratefully. I can't blame them for not liking shoes, if I'd been smart enough to build up calluses on my feet as a kid, I wouldn't wear them half the time either. Lucky Hobbits, born with feet to walk over anything.

A moment later we were in my van, me driving, of course, Frodo in the seat beside me, and Sam directly behind us. "We'll be back in two or three hours," I informed Pippin, who was sitting on the porch swing. I then rolled up the window and pulled out.

Frodo looked up at the sky as we drove up Shelly's dirt driveway. "The sun is setting," he pointed out. "How can you drive these things with any surety after dark?"

I laughed. "You have a lot to learn about this world, dearheart," I said. "You'll see when it gets dark."

A/N: Review or die. Mwahahaha.


	29. Craziness Hits Again

DISCLAIMER: We do not own LotR. If we did, it would be a musical and Pippin would sing much more often!

Authoress's Notes:

SHELLY:Ok, this was just a crazy idea I had and could not resist putting in here.  So c'mon and review, cause ya know ya wanna.

SARAH: We don't own the songs either. Apologies to Shania Twain, really. It was Shelly's idea. I did not have anything to do with it. I just let her get away with it. ;-)

Chapter Twenty-Nine--Craziness Hits Again

Shelly POV

When I woke up that morning, I rolled over to see what time it was. Instead, I saw Legolas and I almost screamed. Then I remembered the night before and remembered why he was in there. _Boy, Sarah has some good ideas._ Legolas was sleeping so peacefully. _Wait, don't Elves sleep or whatever with their eyes open?_ I decided to see if he was really asleep or only faking. I sat up and said, "ORCS!" He bolted upright looking for his bow and arrow.

"Where? I'll protect you, mellamin!" he cried, still sounding a little groggy.

"No, honey, it's okay. I was only testing you, to see if you were awake or not," I said, grinning at how protective of me he was. All of a sudden, my door was practically knocked down by Aragorn, Gimli, and Boromir. Sam, Merry, and Pippin stood a little behind them.

"We heard you scream, Shelly," said Aragorn.

"Is everything all right?" said Boromir.

"Where are the foul creatures?" Gimli said, holding his axe high, ready to strike.

"Shelly, why is Legolas in your bed?" said Pippin, once the others were through.

"Whoa, one at a time! First, I'm sorry, there are no orcs. Yes, everything is all right. And finally, Legolas spent the night with me." Sam got a look of understanding on his face. Aragorn, Boromir, and Gimli seemed ready to strangle Legolas, and Merry and Pippin were either fighting laughter or gagging.

"Legolas, that is completely improper. The two of you are not even betrothed," Aragorn said.

"Aragorn, nothing happened. We just talked until I fell asleep," I told him.

"Yes. Then I read a book." Legolas said.

I smirked. "Aragorn, you need to stop watching so much television."

Boromir wasn't quite sure how to react. "Well, we are sorry. You better get up soon. Cody and Mike will be here in a little while," he said, as they all walked out the door.

"That could have gone better," I said, once the door was shut.

"Yes, it definitely could have," Legolas agreed. "However, my favorite thing this morning was waking up next to you."

"That is so sweet."

The rest of the morning and afternoon passed by rather quickly. I told Sarah about what had happened that morning and she laughed at me about it the rest of the day. I got her back in training, though. Aragorn had her and I go against each other and this time I actually won.

Since Cody and Mike were there, Legolas and I couldn't do much together. After dinner, the guys left, and Sarah, Frodo, and Sam headed to town. With them gone, Legolas and I were left in charge. I decided that it was a good time to introduce Merry, Pippin, Aragorn, Gimli and Boromir to caffeine, so once they put a movie in, I offered them Mountain Dew. Pippin and Merry loved it, Aragorn and Boromir preferred Pepsi, and Gimli and Legolas liked Dr. Pepper.

Pippin smiled. "You know, Merry, this is the most fun I've had since we left the Green Dragon in the Shire."

"I know what you mean, Pip. I think, once we get back home, we need to make some more of this stuff." Merry said. They liked the Mountain Dew so well, they changed to the words to the Green Dragon song and hopped up onto the dining room table to sing their new version.

Oh, you can search far and wide   
You can drink the whole town dry   
But you'll never find a Dew so great   
But you'll never find a Dew so great   
As the one Shelly makes   
As the one Shelly makes   
You can drink your fancy ales   
You can drink 'em by the flagon   
But the only Dew for the brave and true   
Comes from the Green Dragon!

Once the song was over, I made them get off of the table.

"Shelly, what is music here like?" Merry said. Apparently the song had made him wonder.

"I'll tell you what. I borrowed my uncle's karaoke machine for a party I had a few weeks ago. How would you like to hear a few of the songs? Then you can try singing them yourself."

"How, dearest?" Legolas asked from behind me.

"I'll show you."

It only took a few minutes to hook the karaoke machine up to the TV. Once I had it set up, I put in the song "I Love Rock and Roll" by Joan Jett and sang it. Now, I'll be honest, I'm not a great singer, but I can stay on key. When I was done, everyone clapped.

"Shelly, why did you not tell us you could sing?" Boromir asked.

"Well, I can't sing near as well as Sarah." I told them.

"Sarah sings as well?" Gimli asked.

I had heard Sarah sing in the past, at camp and stuff. On her really happy days she'll sing and hum random bits of song for no apparent reason. In my opinion, she was a whole lot better than me. "Yeah, she does."

Pippin was still sitting there, staring at the TV screen, trying to figure out how the words went up there. "Shelly, do it again." Merry said, sounding a lot like a little kid.

"I don't know. Wouldn't you all rather hear a professional or something?" I said, embarrassedly.

"Please, mellamin," Legolas said. Most of the others joined in.

"Only if Legolas will help me," I said. Legolas started to disagree until I reminded him of our deal from last night. I put in the song "Don't Go Breakin' My Heart" from the "Ella Enchanted" movie. Soon the words appeared on the screen. Obviously, I took Anne Hathaway's part and Legolas took Jesse McCartney's.

S: Don't go breakin' my heart   
L: I couldn't if I tried   
S: Oh, honey, if I get restless   
L: Baby, you're not that kind.   
S: Nobody knows it   
L: Right from the start   
S: I gave you my heart   
L: Oh, baby   
Both: You know I gave you my heart   
L: So don't go breakin' my heart   
S: I won't go breakin' your heart   
L: Don't go breakin' my, don't go breakin' my   
B: Don't go breakin' my heart   
L: And nobody told us   
S: Cause nobody showed us   
L: Come on, baby, it's up to us   
S: Ooh, I think we can make it.   
L: Oh, you put the sparks to the flame   
S: I got your heart in my sights   
L: Well, nobody knows it   
S: When I was down   
L: I was your clown   
Right from the start   
S: I gave you my heart   
L: Oh baby   
B: I gave you my heart   
L: Don't go breakin' my heart   
S: I won't go breakin' your heart   
(repeat)   
B: Don't go breakin' my heart.

Legolas got the hang of it and by the end of the song he was doing great. As soon as it was over, he pulled me to him and whispered, "I'll never break your heart." Then, he lightly brushed his lips over mine, making me blush.

Soon, everyone began playing with the machine. Gimli asked me to pick a song for him, and I obliged.

Nothing is funnier than seeing Gimli sing "Man, I Feel Like a Woman."

Pippin wanted to pick his own song and surprise me. So I showed him how the machine worked and sat down waiting for him to sing. Suddenly, I heard him start, "Aw baby, baby, how was I supposed to know?" I could not resist the fangirl inside of me and I squealed. Legolas looked over at me in shock.

"What was that?" he whispered.

"It's a fangirl thing. You wouldn't understand."

Just then, Pippin sang, "Aw baby, baby," again, and I promptly leaned into my boyfriend and sighed. Once the song was over, I jumped up and hugged Pippin. Legolas had to practically tear me away. Then, Merry asked me to choose a song for him and I looked through my uncle's CDs and finally found the perfect song. It was "Come and Go with Me" by the Beach Boys--it starts out going "Dom, dom, dom, dom be doo be." Unfortunately, none of the Fellowship understood why I thought it was it was such a funny song. Soon the others really got into it and began to sing random songs.

By the time Sarah and the others got home, I was crying from laughter. Merry and Pippin tried to convince Sarah to sing, but she told them it was too late--and that was probably true, once the groceries were unloaded, it was near midnight. Everyone started heading for bed.

I grabbed a pillow and blanket and headed out the porch. A few minutes later, Legolas joined me.

"Honey, you can sleep inside. I'll be fine," I told him.

"Shelly, do you really think I'd sleep next to Gimli when I could sleep next to you?"

How could I argue with that? I moved over and he wrapped his arms around my waist, and we didn't move for the rest of the night.

The next morning, I opened my eyes and found myself staring into green ones.

"Peregrin Took, you get away from them!" I heard Aragorn yell.

"But they're awake now!"

I heard Legolas stifle a laugh behind me. Once Pippin went back inside, I turned to Legolas.

"So, you think that was funny, Elf?" I said, hiding a giggle.

"No, not funny at all, Shelly. In fact, it was quite mean."

I leaned forward like I was going to say more, but Legolas silenced me with a kiss. "Okay, fine," I said, grinning. I was about to return the gesture when I heard a car.

Legolas jumped up, holding me, the pillow, and the blanket, and ran into the house. Everyone else except Sarah and Frodo were up. _Great, just great._ Legolas and I ran into my room. Legolas woke up Frodo, who ran to his room.

Just as Legolas was about to leave, I said, "Wait."

He turned. "Why?"

"We still have some unfinished business."

He pulled me into his arms and leaned down. I pulled him into a kiss. I knew it would have to last all day. Suddenly, I heard Pippin yell, "GOOD MORNING, MIKE!" Legolas pulled away, grinned, and left without a sound.

I changed and was about to head out, when I heard Sarah say "Frodo," and reach over. She bolted up the second she couldn't find him.

"Cody and Mike are early this morning," I said quickly. She nodded and I went out the door to get some breakfast.

"Good morning, all," I said, as I walked out.

"Shelly, I thought I saw you on the porch when we drove up, but you were gone when we came in," Cody said.

"I heard the dog bark and came out to see who it was. Once I saw it was you, I came back inside," I said. "You know, today is Wednesday. Allen could stop by."

"That's true," Mike said. I got my breakfast and sat down next to Legolas. He kept touching my leg with his hand. At first, I would simply move my leg, but, finally, I gave up and began holding his hand underneath the table. Sarah and Frodo were having a hard time as well, because Cody was sitting in between them. I'm not sure how they ever solved that.

After breakfast, we went outside to do more training. I was getting good at archery. I could hit the bullseye nine out of ten times. Legolas still came over and helped me adjust my aim a time or two. After lunch, Cody asked if the guys wanted to go bowling that night. He and Mike were going and thought the guys might want to come. At first, Sam, Gimli, and Aragorn didn't want to go, but Sam changed his mind after Frodo cornered him. They decided to go to dinner too. Legolas and Frodo decided to stay. Right before they left, Cody convinced Aragorn and Gimli to go.

"Alone at last." Frodo said, as the group drove out of sight.

A/N: I told you Pip would sing, lol...how many of you who are in the group would like to hear Billy Boyd singing "Baby One More Time"? It can be made possible...

Review or I'll send Gimli to your house to sing.


	30. Explaining Orli

DISCLAIMER: We do not own Lord of the Rings. If we did, I'd have an internet connection at home and this update would have gotten to you a LOT sooner.

Authoress's Notes:

SARAH: SORRY! I was on Thanksgiving break and had no internet all last week!!! I couldn't HELP it! I'm going to shut up now 'cause you've waited MORE than long enough already!

Chapter Thirty--Explaining Orli  
Sarah POV 

Normally I'm insane abut having music when I drive, but the last time I had been hesitant because of the Fellowship, and this time I just plain preferred Frodo's voice. Still, it was force of habit for me to drive entirely left-handed, leaving my right hand free to operate my CD player. Since there was no CD player, I left my hand on the armrest. 

I flipped on the headlights before pulling out on the highway, and Frodo nodded in understanding. "I see," he said. 

"That's exactly the point," I said, smiling. 

"Do all these...cars, have that?" Sam asked. "So's you can see them coming, too?" 

"Yeah," I said. "It's illegal to drive without them at night." 

Frodo, apparently, suddenly noticed that my hand was free, because he reached over and took it, pulling it closer to him. Our hands were resting on top of my bag, which I keep between the two front seats. 

I smiled. "That's fine, but if I pull away it's because I need my hand to drive, okay?" 

He shrugged. "All right." 

I would have liked to talk to him more, but with Sam in the back seat, obviously listening to every word, it put a damper on the conversation. I sighed softly. 

A car passed us going the other direction and Sam seemed very aware of it. "It looked like it was going to crash right into us," he said. 

"That's because the road curves, and since you can't see all of the road you can't tell where he really is. It's a depth perception thing. Don't worry about it." 

Sam frowned at me. At least, I'm pretty sure he did, I couldn't really see. 

The conversation stayed on cars and how they worked and the complications of the price of gasoline and such. When we started getting closer to town I had them put their shoes on. 

We pulled into WalMart and went inside. "Remember last time," I said. "Don't do anything to call attention to us." 

Frodo and Sam nodded. 

I grabbed a cart and started wheeling it around. I'd never been to WalMart at that hour without a parent around to dampen the fun. "Come on," I said, "Let's go look around for a minute before I start grocery shopping." 

They both just kind of followed as I poked around at the jewelry section and among the hats, Frodo kind of smiling as I kept trying on different stuff. Then, as I was crossing the aisle over to cosmetics--I don't wear makeup but I saw some new nail polish--I spotted the gardening section at the end of the aisle and a devious thought popped into my brain. 

And, for once, I acted on it. 

I walked over a little more in that direction, and sure enough Sam spotted it. "Is that where they keep all the gardening things?" he asked quietly. 

I nodded, pretending to be really absorbed in the nail polish I was looking at. "Yeah. There's flowers outside, too." 

"Can we go look?" he asked. 

I looked at my watch. "Oh, well, I really need to go grab the groceries if we're going to get home," I said. I paused for just a moment, and then continued. "But you know what? If you want to go look, you can while Frodo and I go get the groceries, and we'll come get you when we're done." 

Sam pondered. 

"If you go, you can go anywhere the flowers are. We'll be about an hour. If you get lost and can't get back to the flowers, hunt down someone wearing a blue vest that says 'How can I help you?' and ask them to page Sarah Ebort to come wherever you are." 

With that precaution in mind, and a nod from Frodo, Sam took off. I watched him carefully to make sure he got where he was supposd to go. 

Frodo smiled at me crookedly, raising an eyebrow. "You did that on purpose." 

I smiled back widely. "Yeah, well..." I started pushing the cart off, and he was instantly at my elbow, walking alongside me. 

"That was really smart, you got him away from us without him knowing that's what you were doing and without hurting his feelings." 

I smiled. "Thanks." 

We were in the grocery section a moment later, and we chatted softly as I shopped. He asked a lot of questions, but quietly and sensibly, without causing a scene. I was almost to the end of the store, standing in one of the aisles of freezers, debating whether or not to buy another gallon of ice cream for the guys, when my luck completely ran out. 

"Sarah!" 

I whipped around, hoping beyond hope that the person was talking to some other Sarah--it happens to me all the time--but of course I wasn't that lucky this time. No, of course not. Standing there, friendly smile on her face, was one of my friends. 

"Hi, Lacey!" I said. Even though this was a sticky situation, it HAD been a while since I'd seen her and I didn't mind the chance to catch up. "What's up?" 

"Mom's grocery shopping," she told me. Lacey's a lot younger than me, only thirteen to my eighteen. "My brother's with her." I nodded, waiting for the inevitable question. "Who's with you?" 

Bingo. I was so dead. 

Oh, well, Lacey, this is...Orlando," I said. If me and Shelly were going to fudge things we could at least fudge them consistently. "He's my boyfriend. Orli, this is my old friend Lacey. We used to go to the same church." _Play along, Frodo, play along or we're SOOOOO busted._

Frodo smiled politely and stuck out his hand. "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Lacey," he said. Lacey shook his hand. 

Unfortunately, she was full of questions. "When did you get a boyfriend?" 

_Oh CRAP. CRAP CRAP CRAP._ "Well, we just met...what, a little more than a week ago, right?" 

Frodo shrugged. "If a week is still seven days, yes." 

Lacey nodded. "Where'd you meet?" 

"Well, you remember Shelly? My friend from camp? She had a little party, some of the people that graduated with her, and we met there. We kept hanging out together, and, well, here we are." I smiled brightly at Frodo, but suddenly I thought of something. "I've been staying with Shelly while her parents are gone," I said. "I got there the day of the party and I'll be there another week. I haven't been home. Mom and Dad haven't met Orli yet, so don't tell anyone, okay?" 

Lacey frowned. 

"I'm GOING to tell them," I said. "When I go home." 

She shrugged, a sign that she would keep it secret for the time being, but then suddenly her mom walked up. "Hi, Sarah!" And Lacey's brother Mark was with her. _Quadruple crap!!!_

Of course, introductions had to be made and my story repeated. 

"Do you think your mom will be okay with that?" Lacey's mom asked. 

I sighed. "Well..." I shrugged. "My parents trust me. And they'll really like Orli when they meet him." I thought about that for a moment, and realized that it was true--if my parents ever were to meet Frodo, they'd probably be quite charmed by his politeness and old-fashioned standards. 

Lacey's mom raised an eyebrow. "Well, Sarah, it was good to see you." 

I smiled in relief. I was off the hook! "Yeah, you too." I gave Lacey a hug. "Tell your dad hi for me, tell him I'll see him when the school year starts." Her dad works at the college I'm taking classes at. 

As soon as they were out of sight I let out an audible sigh and hugged Frodo. "Thank you thank you thank you for keeping your mouth shut!" 

When I pulled back, he smiled. "Well, I didn't know what to say," he said. "I knew that if anything would give us away, it' be me talking." 

"Right. Now come on, we've got all we need." I decided to go against my better judgement and put the ice cream into the cart. "We need to go find Sam." 

Frodo walked at my elbow as I pushed the cart along. "Sarah?" 

"Yeah?" 

"Your parents." 

I frowned. "What about them?" 

"Well, it's just...I don't know, it never occurred to me before. You have parents." 

I smiled. "Well, yeah, most people do, or at least had them at one point. I'm sure I mentioned them sometime. So?" 

"Well...I haven't met them." 

I frowned, having a pretty good idea of where this was going. "Can we talk about this later? At home--Shelly's house--whatever. It's going to take a while, and I'd rather not have this conversation in front of all WalMart, plus Sam'll be here in a minute and all." 

He frowned. "All right." 

We found Sam in the gardening section, kneeling in front of some very bedraggled potted pansies. "They don't take such good care of these," he informed me. 

I nodded, and took pity on the part of him that was missing home. "Why don't we get one and see if you can nurse it back to health?" I asked. They were only ninety-seven cents, it wasn't like I couldn't afford it. 

Sam brightened and carefully chose one of the worst ones, and then we made our way back to the checkout and were soon on our way home. 

"I met one of Sarah's friends," Frodo told Sam. "And Sarah called me Orli." 

I cracked up, taking his hand like he had on the way in. "Yeah, well, I wasn't about to contradict Shelly, since that's what she called him when Allen popped in. Besides, I couldn't think fast enough to come up with anything better." 

When we got home, the first thing that happened was that Merry and Pippin practically attacked me. "Will you sing for us, Sarah?" Pippin asked. 

I blinked, but then Shelly's laughter led my eyes to the living room and the karaoke machine. Aragorn was singing at the moment. "I don't think so, guys." 

"But everyone else did," Merry pouted. "And Shelly said you were good." 

I sighed. I was too unprepared to just get up and sing--though I had been humming to myself quite a bit since falling in love. "Maybe next time, guys. It's really late, and the groceries need to be brought in. They're in my van." 

I didn't even have to go out, all the groceries were in within two minutes. Frodo, Sam, Shelly and I had them put away quickly. Then everyone started heading off for bed. 

I went into Shelly's room and left the door open the slightest crack as I took off my shoes, socks, and jewelry. I knew Frodo would be there in a minute and I wasn't quite sure what to do. When we'd slept outside I'd just worn my clothes, but now I wondered if I should put on my pajamas. 

I was sitting in the computer chair waiting when he slipped in. He had on a snug jade-colored t-shirt and black pajama pants. That answered that question. 

His face was faintly red as he walked in. "Well..." 

I blushed a little myself. "Let me go change," I said, taking my pajamas to the bathroom. I'd been wearing pajamas with shorts all that week, but I thought it might be appropriate to wear pajama pants now. 

When I came back in, he was sitting on the bed, on top of the covers. I closed the door and flipped the lights off, throwing my clothes in the general direction of my bag. "Hey, love," I whispered. I slid in on "Shelly's" side of the bed and moved over next to him, sitting with my legs crossed under me. 

He smiled. "Hey." I wondered when he'd learned how to use that word. 

"Didn't you want to talk about something? About my parents?" I asked. 

He nodded. "I just--well, first of all, this has been a very unconventional romance by Shire traditions." 

"How so?" 

"Well...normally Hobbit couples see each other in secret and no one knows about any relationship between them until just before the wedding." 

"Is that why Merry and Pippin are all 'ewww' whenever they see us together?" 

Frodo laughed softly. "Probably. And although it's kept secret from most of the world, the parents of both involved parties usually know. If you were a Shire-lass I'd have told Uncle Bilbo about you." 

I bit my lip. "Are you saying you think my parents should know?" 

"Well...just that in different ciscumstances..." 

"Ah." I sighed. "Yeah, if we'd met almost any other way I'd be thrilled for you to meet them. They would love you. But, see, they'd recognize you. They know all about your character from the books and movies, from listening to me, and they're very familiar with your picture. Elijah Wood's, too." 

"Who?" 

"Your actor. I oughta show you pictures of him sometime so you can see what you'd look like in a modern haircut. Not that I would ever want you to cut off your lovely curls," I said, reaching out to run my hand through his hair. I smiled, laying down on my side, facing him, and the next thing I knew he was under the blankets next to me, and he'd pulled me into his arms. 

"I love you," he whispered, cuddling his nose against mine. I leaned closer and we kissed. I wound my arms around his neck and pulled myself close up against him. When we broke the kiss, I settled my forehead into the crook of his neck, breathing in his scent. Despite having been in our world and using our soap, he still smelled like his home--I caught the scent of fresh-baked bread, and flowers, and something that could only be ink. I smiled at the thought of him in his study at Bag End. 

"I just want to hold you like this forever," he said. 

I sighed contentedly. "I would stick around for that," I murmured. "Good night, love." 

"Good night," he said, kissing my forehead before settling back to go to sleep. 

When I woke in the morning the first thing I remember was feeling really cold. I couldn't explain that, since I'd been quite sheltered and warm the night before. I suddenly realized that it had been Frodo keeping me warm and that I must have moved away from him in my sleep. I reached over towards where he should have been, murmuring his name, but when I touched nothing but blankets--despite the fact that they were still warm from where he'd been sleeping--the first thought that popped into my head was that they'd all gone home. I sat bolt upright and was greeted with the sight of Shelly. 

"Cody and Mike are early this morning," she explained. 

Of course. I nodded, sighing, and she left the room. It figured, the one morning I would have had a chance to cuddle with my new boyfriend and exchange sweet nothings, they would suddenly decide to be unnaturally punctual. 

A moment later I was dressed and in the kitchen fixing cereal for myself. After having been out "late," Sam apparently hadn't wanted to cook any more than I did. 

I sat down next to Boromir, but before Frodo could sit next to me, Cody did. I was seriously tempted to kick him in the shin, but Frodo smiled weakly at me, as if to say that it wasn't worth the guys figuring it out. It was really hard, though, because it wasn't even like we were across from each other where we could see each other. If I did look up at Frodo, Cody was usually in the way. After breakfast we went out to do training, and that was a little better becasue the guys were proccupied, and Frodo and I could, if nothing else, stand next to each other and talk in between turns. 

I was improving with the sword, and I won three fights out of ten. As far as archery was concerned, hitting the bullseye wasn't even much of an effort any more. 

"I do believe that the bow has taken to you," Legolas said. 

"Isn't it the other way around?" I asked him. 

He shook his head. "No. You may have taken to the sword, but the weapon you are best at is the one that has taken to you." 

I thought about that for a moment. "Okay. Cool." 

After a while we went in for lunch, and this time Frodo and I, as well as Shelly and Legolas, managed to sit next to each other. I wondered if the rest of the Fellowsip pitied us and helped do that on purpose. 

After lunch the guys started up the GameCube again, but as it got close to three, Cody announced that he and Mike were going to dinner and then bowling that night, and asked if anyone wanted to come. After explaining what "bowling" was (luckily that was easy, because apparently the game of ninepins exists in Middle-Earth), most everyone wanted to go. Of course Shelly, Legolas, Frodo and I had no interest. Aragorn, Gimli, and Sam weren't thrilled with the idea, but Frodo cornered Sam and probably begged him to go. At the last minute, Cody talked Aragorn and Gimli into going, too. 

The four of us went out on the porch and watched Cody and Mike drive off with Aragorn, Boromir, Gimli, Sam, Merry and Pippin. 

Frodo got a smirk on his face that I'd never seen before. "Alone at last," he said. 

I smiled widely, leaning against one of the posts. "No joke! I thought they'd never get gone!" At that, they faded completely out of view. 

"So what do you guys want to do?" Shelly asked. Honestly, the newfound privacy was almost startling, because even though we'd been alone before, suddenly there was no chance of anytone walking in through a closed door. Frodo's smirk hadn't quite faded. He looked over at Shelly, grinned mischieviously, and started to kiss me. I uncrossed my arms and wrapped them around his neck, pulling him close against me. 

Other than that first time, when we'd announced to the Fellowship that we were in love, Frodo and I really hadn't kissed in front of anyone--at least not intentionally. I came up blushing and Shelly and Legolas were just staring. 

I grinned. "I'm with him on that one," I said. "We haven't had quite so much opportunity as you two." 

Shelly sighed, laughing. "Why don't we watch a movie?" 

I rolled my eyes. "Like that could be more fun." 

Shelly raised an eyebrow. "Well, whatever, but I was thinking 'Pirates.'" 

I immediately perked up. "Pirates? As in, 'of the Carribbean'?" 

Shelly nodded. 

I looked over at Frodo. "That movie is one of my all-time favorites after your movies! Let's watch it!" At his frown, I started begging. "Please? Come on...it's so funny!" I frowned when he wouldn't say yes. I leaned in and planted a long, hard kiss on him. "Please?" 

He was kind of dazed for a moment, but pointed out, "That's exactly why I DON'T want to watch it." 

I pouted. "Come on. Besides, you'll get to see what Legolas would look like with shorter, brown, curly hair and brown eyes, because the same actor who played Legolas is in Pirates." 

He tilted his head. "Well, now...that would be funny..." 

Legolas frowned at that. "I'm not so sure about that..." 

I smiled. "Come on!" I led the way into the house and started up the DVD player. A moment later the DVD was in, the lights were off, and each couple had an entire couch to themselves. This was going to be fun.

A/N: We don't own PotC either, though Shelly's in negotiations for Will. Review and we'll send brownies.


	31. A Surprising Reaction

DISCLAIMER:We don't own LOTR, if we did, my research paper for composition would have been a lot better.

Authoress's Notes:

SHELLY: Hey everybody. I hope you're all well. Sorry about the wait, but I've been waiting on Sarah to update the chapters and now, it's finals week here at college so I'm going to be stressed all week. Sounds like fun, huh? Anyway, enjoy the chapter and review. Don't flame as the flames will only make Legolas hotter. On second thought flame, flame.

Chapter Thirty-One--A Surprising Reaction

Shelly POV

I could not believe that Sarah and her boyfriend and my boyfriend and I were actually sitting down to watch one of my favorite movies. The best part was that we were ALONE! When we went in, Sarah put in the DVD. I sat down on the loveseat and snuggled against Legolas. He put his arm around me and pulled me closer to him.

"So, what is this movie about?" he whispered.

"You'll have to watch and see," I told him. I knew the plot would hold his attention.

Once the movie was going, he seemed to be fascinated. If you've never seen "Pirates of the Carribean," it's about a cursed pirate crew that kidnaps a governor's daughter. The man who loves her, a blacksmith named Will Turner (played by the oh-so-hot Orlando Bloom), and a rival pirate named Captain Jack Sparrow go and save her. There's actually quite a bit more to it, but that's all a person really needs to know without watching it.

When Legolas realized that Orlando was the same guy who played Legolas, he whispered, "How could you think I look like him?"

"You do. Your hair and eye color are different, but you have the same facial structure."

He shook his head and we continued to watch the movie. At the end of the movie, Will gets the girl. (Come on now, who didn't see that coming?) I always felt jealous of the girl, because she had someone who loved her so much. This time, it was different. I was jealous because she wouldn't have to part with Will anytime soon. Legolas read my face and pulled me into his arms, kissing me soundly. I looked up and grinned. _How could I have ever thought Orlando would be better than this?_

Sarah and Frodo seemed rather preoccupied with each other, so I left Legolas to watch TV and made some pizza. It felt like he and I were an old married couple and Sarah and Frodo were the newlyweds. Those two never wanted to leave each other's side, but while Legolas and I were happier when we were together, we were not together all the time.

Once the pizza was done, I put candles on the table and lit them. We all four sat down to a nice romantic dinner of pepperoni pizza. Afterwards, Legolas and I did the dishes.

When I'm working I like music to listen to, so I put my MP3 player on. Soon, out of habit, I started to dance to the music. I probably looked ridiculous, but I as I closed my eyes, I felt Legolas put his arms around my waist and begin swaying to the music with me. I could have stayed that way all day, but at that exact moment, everyone else arrived home. He pulled back with a sad smile on his face.

I shrugged. "Later," I said.

He went back into the living room to break up Sarah and Frodo, who still hadn't realized that a car had pulled up.

"Shelly, we're home!" yelled Pippin, walking in the door. I wondered if that was so Mike and Cody wouldn't catch us.

I put the last dish in the dishwasher and turned around. "Hey guys. Did you have fun?"

"It was amazing," said Cody. "Pippin and Merry probably got six or seven girls to check them out. When the girls came over all they said was, 'Gross.' I could have killed them. Those were some good-looking girls."

I laughed. Cody is notorious for only picking thin gorgeous blondes and never caring about their brains. He is extremely shallow when it comes to girlfriends.

All of the others had a great time, too. "I hope you all get to do it again." Sarah said, after they had finished talking about it.

_Me, too._ After Cody and Mike left, Frodo asked if we could watch Pirates again, since none of the others had seen it. Personally, I think it was because he and Sarah didn't pay too much attention to the movie the first time. Once the movie was over again, everyone headed off to bed.

Once we were in my room, I asked Legolas, "Honey, sometime, could you teach me how to dance?"

"But, mellamin, you dance beautifully."

"Except for when I'm stepping on your toes."

He smiled sympathetically. "Well, it's not that different from learning a weapon. You just have to know the proper steps and such. Of course I'll teach you." Then, he pointed up at my wall. "On one condition. Once you learn how, those are out of this room."

I looked at what he was pointing at. It was the five Orlando Bloom posters I had on my wall. I had honestly forgotten they were there ever since Legolas had come into my life.

"All but one," I told him.

"Why?" He sounded a little shaken.

"Because the biggest one was a gift and I couldn't throw it away." Which is the honest truth, a friend had given it to me for graduation.

He nodded and said, "Fine, but the rest of them go." He was practically begging now.

"Fine. I'll take them down tomorrow."

Then, I went and changed into my pajamas. When I got back, Legolas was reading.

"What are you reading, darling?" I asked, trying to see the cover.

"The book I started the other night. Did you know that your language is almost identical to the common tongue in Middle Earth?"

"Really? That's great, but you still didn't tell me what the name of it was," I said pointedly.

"It's called 'Treasure Island,'" he said. "It's a really great book. I like it."

I laid down beside him and smiled to myself. "Honey, is that the only one you've read?"

"So far. I'm almost done. Then, I'm not sure what to read. What would you recommend?" he asked, finally turning to look at me.

"Well, I have several good books. My favorite are romances, but somehow, I don't think you'll like those," I said, getting up and scanning my book shelf. "You might like 'The Adventures of Robin Hood' or 'King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table.'"

"Those both sound good, which is your favorite?"

"It depends. Probably Robin Hood, but King Arthur is good too. Remind me and I'll show you the movie Robin Hood tomorrow. There are several versions in existence." I turned off the overhead light and turned on my nightstand light. "Good night, my prince," I said, gently brushing my lips over his.

He put the book down and kissed me back. "Good night, mellamin."

As I drifted off to sleep, I heard him humming "Don't Go Breakin' my Heart."

The next morning I was up bright and early. Legolas had finished "Treasure Island" and was starting to read "The Prince and the Pauper." In mid-morning, Mike and Cody finally arrived and we began training. The day before, I heard Legolas tell Sarah that the bow had taken to her. I wasn't sure what I was best at, so I asked Aragorn what he thought.

"Shelly, what weapon would you pick if you could only have one? Which one would you be most comfortable with?" he asked.

"Probably the axe," I said. "That's what I'm best at. I've even defeated Legolas with my axe."

"Then there's your answer," he said.

I nodded my head as I walked away. I saw Cody and Mike shooting at Legolas' targets. They were getting good with swords, but they had nowhere near mastered archery, and they were worse at the axe. When Sarah and I fought, I chose to use the axe for the first time against her and I actually beat her. Then, I beat all the others with the axe. I even beat GIMLI! Maybe the axe was my best weapon...or maybe they all went easy on me, but either way, when we had lunch, I felt like I was walking on clouds.

That is, until Legolas reminded me of our dance lesson.

However, he did decide to practice in my room so no one else would be around. As we practiced, I was gradually getting better, but I was so distracted--I was in a gorgeous elf's arms and this particular elf loved me.

Finally, he pulled me into his arms and kissed me lightly--though it quickly grew deeper.

Once we pulled away, I saw Cody standing in the door with his jaw scraping the ground. I pulled him inside and shut the door.

"Now THAT was a kiss," he said, once he got his voice back. "So, how long has this been going on?"

"What?" I said, playing up the dumb girl bit.

Cody smirked. "That wasn't a one-time kiss. How long, Legolas? You won't lie."

"For about a week and a half," he said, pulling me close to his side.

"Cody, please don't tell Mike. You know how he gets. He wouldn't understand," I begged.

"Wait, who says I understand? From what Mike has said, if Legolas falls in love with a mortal, he'll die. The Fellowship needs him to finish the Quest."

"Cody, he and I have already discussed this. He'll finish the Quest," I said, simply.

"Then I'm happy for you. Don't worry, I won't tell Mike. Now, how long have Frodo and Sarah been together?"

"How did you know about THEM?!" I cried.

"It's obvious in the way they look at each other. They about killed me at breakfast yesterday. Now, how long?"

"Since Sunday," I admitted.

"Wow, you Middle-Earth people work quickly," Cody said, laughing.

Legolas frowned, but let it pass, and suddenly smiled with an idea. "Since you are in here, Cody, Shelly and I could use some help," he said, planting a small kiss on my nose. "It seems we distract each other. If you could dance with her, while I teach the steps, it would help immensely."

Cody agreed, and soon he and I were waltzing around my bedroom. Suddenly, Cody stopped. "What happened to your posters?" he asked.

"Payment for the dance lesson. Legolas made me throw them out," I answered.

"Wow, you must really like him to give up Orlando Bloom for him."

I laughed. "It's more than like, Code, it's love," I said, turning to the elf I loved so much. He was beaming.

Just then I heard Sarah yell, "Dinnertime!"

After dinner, I walked Cody and Mike out to the car. After Mike got in, Cody hugged me and whispered, "I'm jealous, Shelly. You and Legolas have something special. Don't give up on it." Then, he turned and got in the car, as if he had said nothing.

That surprised me. Not only was he cool with it, he was on our side.

The next morning, Sarah called her parents and asked them if she could stay with me for the next two weeks as well, since my parents wouldn't be home as early as we had planned. Her parents agreed. Sarah decided to go home for the weekend once her parents had left so she could get some more clothes and do some laundry. She and I decided she should take the four hobbits with her and I would keep the other four.

When Sarah left with them, I felt like the Fellowship was breaking. Not that I wouldn't treasure the time I had with Legolas, but I would miss the ones that were gone.

Poor Sam could barely leave his little pansy that he was nursing back to health. He left strict instructions with Legolas, Aragorn, and I to care for it. As they pulled away, I felt a tear slide down my face, but I turned and caught Legolas staring at me.

"What, haven't you ever seen a girl cry before?"

"Not one as beautiful as you."

I shook my head. He and I had already discussed my plain looks. "I hardly think I'm as beautiful as Lady Arwen."

"You're not. You're much more beautiful than she could ever be."

I threw up my hands. "My love, someday I'll introduce you to some of my friends. Then, you can tell me who's prettier."

Not an hour later, my friend Anne showed up. I was surprised to see her in the driveway but not unhappy. I knew she'd keep her mouth shut about the guys, plus I hadn't seen her since graduation, so I told the guys it was safe to stay so long as they were careful about what they said.

"Hey, Shelly."

"Hey, Anne!" I said, hugging her.

"Who are they?" she asked, indicating Legolas and the others.

"Friends. Come in and I'll introduce you. Guys, this is my friend Anne. Anne, this is--" I hesitated, trying to come up with names. "Adam," I pointed at Aragorn, "John," I pointed at Gimli, "Shawn," I indicated Boromir, "And, of course, Elijah."

"Shelly," Anne whispered, "These look like the guys from Lord of the Rings."

I laughed. "Of course they aren't. Don't you think if THEY were here I would've called you?"

She grinned. "Yeah, plus there's only four of them," she said.

She stayed for about an hour and ended up inviting us all to a party she was having that night. "I don't know, Anne. These guys aren't from around here..."

Anne cut me off, "That doesn't matter. Everyone will be glad to have them."

"Well, Anne, the thing is, my parents don't exactly know that they're here. We both know that if I showed up at a party with four guys it would get back to them."

Anne nodded her head. "Good point."

As she was leaving, she invited me to go to the river with her next week. "Sure, sounds great. Could I bring some other friends too?"

"Sure, you know you can. See ya next week." She waved goodbye.

A/N:Review and make me feel better.


	32. Trapped

DISCLAIMER: We do not own Lord of the Rings. If we did, the RotK EE would have come out on the same day everywhere in the world and my British friends would have had nothing to taunt me about last Friday. 

Authoress's Notes:

SARAH: Here is your update on Return of the King Day! For anyone who DOESN'T know (and there can't be anyone left), The Return of the King Extended Edition DVD is out TODAY! I've been counting down for the past two months, and most likely by the time you read this I will have mine in hand as I am headed to the store as soon as this is posted.

Sorry for the delays...when FFN switched to the new html editor it deleted the chapters I'd uploaded to post later, and I've been so busy it was a while before I had a chance to REupload them (at least we didn't have to rewrite them!). The snags seem to be gone now, though, and I can upload chapters without having to go back and italicize everything manually! YAY! So from now on, if there are delays, it's because I'm gone. (I doooooo have vacation from school now! Today was my last day until January 10th!)

Good news for the group members--I'm FINALLY getting my laptop worked on, and when that gets fixed I can use my scanner again, and there will be NEW PICCIES ON THE GROUP! As far was WHEN, I'd say...maybe mid-January? So don't hold your breath. But look forward to it. :-)

This is an eighth chapter again (yes, I am treying to do this every eighth chapter), so guess what...REVIEW RESPONSES! Wow, I have a heck of a lot to reply to, no sense in delaying a moment longer...except--

FIRST, to ALL those who are nagging about a happy ending (I lost count but there's a lot of you)--It's abundantly clear to me that you have never read anything on my solo account. If you were familiar with my work in general, I think you'd have an answer to that question. --laughs mysteriously-- (And I don't mean my two LotR fics, I mean the OTHER stuff, my old Digimon stuff...) And what gives you the idea that it's ending anytime soon? --decides this may be the time to FINALLY give away a single spoiler, of sorts, not the story-ruining type-- Okay, people...we're working ahead...there are 40 chapters and we're still working. Is there an end in sight? Yes. We've worked out the end to the last detail, we have the ending COMPLETELY PLANNED. Okay, NOW review responses!

nightwoman--Let Pip hide with you? If Shelly doesn't get over her anger (and come on, how long could you stay mad at someone with a face like Pip's?), I think our friend Dani may just have dibs on that already, lol. But as she's likely to frighten him with unwavering attention, I'll put you down for when he runs away from her, okay? ;-) You liked "Leggums"? And after I fought so hard to keep Shelly from using that! --calls Merry-- Go give nightwoman cookies. NOW. (I doooo love being a supreme authoress, you know that?) Yeah, I thought driving after dark would be interesting, and that they'd experience more of Wal-Mart if there were only two of them. (And WHAT an EXPERIENCE, lol...though writing something like this does make you realize what you take for granted, you know?) Lol, Merry and Pip HAVE been staring a lot of people awake, haven't they? Makes you wonder about them? You mean you weren't wondering about them already? Lol. Yeah, I know 29 took forever...like I said, technical difficulties with FFN. Blame them. Glad you enjoyed the fluff, though! Make Legolas hotter? Simple. Make him look like Frodo. --laughs insanely--

Aldawen Eldartari--Loving that name, and I think Shelly would agree. If you stick with this story for a really, really, really long time, you'll probably figure out what it reminds me of...

Laer4572--You're back! I always love seeing your reviews, so nice and encouraging. Lol--"What a weird coupling Mr. Prankster-R-us and Mr. All things elven is perfect and rest of it we tolerate." I loved that, cracked me up. So true of Haldir. And of COURSE you're invited to the weddings! (And I am soooo tempted to toss out spoilers now but I'll restrain myself...and note that I did not say what you said that made me say that. Mwahaha.) Send Merry and Pippin with the cookies? Lol...you're, like, the sixth person to offer to babysit the two of them (or at least Pip!). Happy ending for me and Frodo? You want to help? WOW! Thanks! I wouldn't stress about it too much, though. The fic will go where it will, lol... Yes! Yay Boromir! Since we started writing this, both Shelly and I have renewed respect for him. (Me from the works of GamgeeFest, who I cannot plug enough, and Shelly from me and the actual writing.) "Soeajubg"? What? What does that mean? (You have confused me...but don't get too excited, that's not much of an accomplishment, lol...) Yeah, no breakfast, it kind of scared them, lol. :-) Hehehe, Cody and Mike helping without realizing...with enemies like that, who needs friends, eh? "Who said it was wrong for you to enjoy your life"? You lost me there... Frodo coming here instead of over the Sea? NICE THEORY! Really. Wish I'd thought of it. (I haven't ranted my "Frodo never should have gone over the Sea!" rant here, have I? Don't worry. That is DEFINITELY coming up in this fic--it's already written.)

Skakespirit--WAFFLES! Did I spell your name wrong last time? I think I had it as "sHakespirit" and I see now the error of my ways. --bows in apology-- 26 made you cry? --re-skims 26-- That's odd, I thought it was rather funny meself...

Shakespirit--Waffles? (See above.) I am confused now. Are you someone different or is this still Waffles with a mispelled name in her anonymous review? Anyway, point well shaken. Updating. And here, take some Pepto Bismol for the twitching. --nods wisely-- And NO, you can't have Frodo in the reviews. I could look into having a clone made, maybe...would that be good enough?

Waffles the Dented--This is still you, right? Just unsigned? (I AM SO CONFUSED!) Lol, that's actually a really high compliment, that our sap is not corny. Sometimes I worry about that. I'm glad you thin we have the gift! Are you really sure we're not fuzzy creatures with long antlers? I mean, really? Are you? I can tell you we're not, but can you really believe me? REALLY? --laughs-- But anyway, I'm already doomed to be nicknamed Rudolph. See...about three years ago, I got this really bad sunburn and blistered horribly, my chances of skin cancer are WAY up (especially as how my grandpa already had one mass removed from his face for that reason), but anyway...my nose was red...yeah. You get the idea. Fortunately it never stuck.

Jousting Elf with a Sabre--Thanks! Like I said, it'll stay clean. I wouldn't write anything I wouldn't read. ;-) Only a month? Yay! Chicken Dance? Oh, you mean like Frodo at Bibo's birthday? (Come on, watch him, see if I'm not right!) You just now got the FotR EE? HOW have you lived this long?? Lol. Isn't is SOOOO great? (And no, it's not weird--hold on to your theatrical, too, it has different documentaries that aren't on the EE.) Joining FFN or the group? (Join the group! Well, do both, but join the group!) No PotC? Eish...been there, though, I didn't see any PG-13 movies until the month before my 13th birthday. But then how have you seen LotR? That's PG-13, too. Ohh...my condolences about your grandpa. I hope getting the new chapters help a little. Waitaminit...SIGNED REVIEW! Congrats! And happy birthday! --throws confetti and blows one of those party things that makes a "whoo-ooo" sound-- Let me know when you put stuff up! And I'm certainly not going to complain about a review for every chapter!

frodofreak88--Back again, I see! Of course Pip at your house would be a good thing, even if he ended up burning it down you'd never forget it, would you? :-P Um...right...I'm updating before you confuse me with your Ringwraiths again. Update soon? Was this quick enough? (Correct answer: NO, it is NEVER fast enough! Lol...)

Anderinwen--I am officially giving you a medal for Longest Review Ever! Even if you count my stuff aside from this joint account. WOW. Thanks. Soppy lovestruck doe? Hormones? Are you kidding? I agree wholeheartedly! Lol...lengthen the story? It certainly would, and I'm glad that people are wanting us to do just that! --reads over next part-- Wow...you've made it really hard for me to answer that...erm...ah...AHEM! Here we go--what are bickies? I have never heard of a bickie. I'm dying to know what a bickie is. A series? I'll say this much...when I first started writing I was the spinoff queen, I've gotten away from that in my other fanficion but you never know... Hmm...personally, I don't like whipped cream and cherries, but see if that'll get you anywhere with Shelly. (I'm partial to peanut butter ice cream if you're going to bribe us with sundaes, and Shelly, if you actually read these when I write them, I meant that literally, not Lost-ly.) Whining? Are you kidding? A few more revies like that and I'll be convinced that I've died and gone to heaven! (Except...if that's the case...where's Elijah?!!)

Kat1280--You're like the fifth person to offer to take Pippin, I'm beginning to think I've created a monster, lol. Yay! Someone else who's actually seen "The Good Son!" Somewhere once upon a time I saw a photomanip of Elijah's face from that movie on Frodo's body and it said "Frodo Baggins, age 20," lol. That might have influenced it a little, too. Since I wrote that I've seen "Forever Young" and "Radio Flyer" and they only reinforced the image... Mini Frodos and Legolases? I can't answer that! You'd quite reading! I wouldn't be mysterious and evil anymore! Mini Frodos...hmm...--wonders if Sam and Rosie would have named their son Frodo if Frodo was married and having his own kids...and departs on that thought...not-- Thanks! I wasn't sure if people were going to like my getting rid of Sam or think I was a horrible person for abandoning a sweet, innocent Hobbit in the big, wide world...

lea--Someone in Shelly's dorm has a life-size cutout, too, if you go on the group you can see a pic of her standing next to it. :-) Pippin keep a secret? Lol, Gandalf didn't tell him not to speak in front of Denethor for no reason! Oh, you're right! --runs and gives cookie to Merry--

diesoz--Was 23 short? --skims-- Oh yeah. I thought so, too, at the time, but Shelly never listens. --laughs-- LOST? REALLY? --realizes that this review was posted weeks ago-- DON'T DO THAT TO ME! Hehehe, Pip's been in YOUR room all this time? So THAT'S why you were going on and on about how easy it would be to hide a guy in your dorm room! And doubly easy if he's half the height, I imagine. --realizes that her bad thoughts quota is always closer to its limit after being around Dani-- And no, I likely wouldn't kill you if you didn't review...but saying it made you review, now didn't it? And this is very true, about the clones...--runs off to huggle her Lij for a little while before finishing reviews and wonders if it would be easier to talk the clone into growing out, dying, and curling his hair or just getting Dani to make a Frodo clone-- Bring you brownies? Well...okay, but be warned--they WILL be DLBE brownies and we WILL film everything you do while under their influence. --laughs evilly-- NOOO! Not my ownership! ANYTHING but my ownership! (I was talking with my friend Jacqui on the phone earlier and we were joking about how paranoid my parents are and what my reaction would be if they suddenly forbid LotR--"ELIIIIIIJAAAAAAH! NOOOOO!" Lol...) Oh come on! What could be BETTER than PotC? REALLY! It wasn't like we CAME UP with that because it was, "Oh, let's watch a movie" and then "Oh, great, what movie do we write?" We were planning on watching PotC while we were writing the very first chapters!

Katina Ashton--Kat-chan! What's with the anonymous reviews? No matter. Lol...okay, if you get to tear us apart where we deserve it (I admit: We're not Tolkien! Or even YOU! lol), I get to defend us. Descriptive? Maybe so, but you know, it also gets kind of annoying to read "I looked up and saw a tall, gorgeous blond guy looking down at me with amazing ice-blue eyes..." over and over again. But maybe a bit more as far as their individual reactions, no? Oh well. 'Tis published now, too late. Lol, glad you liked that--it's true, though. How many fangirls sit around all day writing stuff like this and imagining the Fellowship popping up, and get all giggly if they have a dream where it happens, but would probably scream and faint if it actually happened? (Um. Yeah. That would be me.) Hey! The scholarship thing was the best thing I could come up with, and I will stand by it! In reality, it wouldn't take THAT much money--I was thinking maybe a thousand dollars tops since they aren't making all sorts of modern demands, just clothes and food. (The soap, after all, was for my and Shelly's convenience, lol.) I had almost that much in the bank, all told, once I got all my money, and all I had was my tuition and a PELL grant, so it would only take one or two small scholarships to have enough. And since, in the story, I have a paid-for vehicle, and, after all, it IS the Fellowship, I wouldn't mind parting with the cash! Lol. Yes, brilliant flash of insight on Shelly's part, it was her idea that we had to do SOMETHING to keep Boromir away from the Ring. (Though I had to figure out WHAT, lol.) I would have forgotten completely. And you're right, I've read other fics like this by other authors that I greatly admire that never even think of it. Mmm...Frodo and the car...I can see Merry and Pippin being completely unafraid and curious ("It moves? Teach us how to drive it!") but with the noise it makes and the sheer metalness of it, I can see the rest of them being a bit shy of it. You notice, though, that since he sees Shelly and Cody jump in without even thinking, Frodo is pretty okay with it almost right away? Glad you liked the Lord Cody--that's going to resurface later. (Much, much later.) STOP dissing Arkansas! Just rubbing it in because you were lucky enough to get out, geez...lol. As far as Shelly's house--it simply didn't occur to me because when I read a description it really doesn't influence my mental image at all. Unless I see a floor plan of the house in question, in my mind it looks like a house that I've been to IRL, or a combination of a few of them. (And I covered the basic floor plan somewhere...) And if you reeeeeeally want to KNOW what we look like, join the group. --pokes Kat-- I have some of the illustrations up on there. Hey! Back off of Boromir and get that lighter away from his hair! He's an all right guy! Lol. Seriously, once my computer is fixed and I get all my other LotR fiction finished, I plan on writing a Borry-centric fic...PLAN, mind you, PLAN. I thought chapter five was okay...you say we don't know what Shelly's thinking but I don't see that. At that point we're all still kind of stunned so we're not exactly contemplating the deeper meaning of the cosmos. "Legolas is so hot!!!" and "OMG what if Mom and Dad find out??!!" are going to be about as far as you can get. Seriously, her main objective is to keep her house from burning down and to stay out of trouble. It gets deeper later. Keep reading.

Rie--Thanks! And we are!

CARRIE--Oh YAY! Our disclaimers aren't a total waste of time and effort! I was beginning to wonder if anyone even noticed. You're jealous of Shelly but not of me? Are you saying that Frodo is not as good as Legolas? Are you saying that he's not a wonderful, sweet, caring, sensitive guy that any girl would fall for and that I'm crazy to like him?... Good. More for me. XD

Rosie--Thanks! Was this soon enough? (I have to ask if you bear any resemblance to Sam's wife, lol...)

Saeleth Tinuviel--Lol, glad to hear we made you laugh! Enjoy the update! I can promise you we won't ever just leave it unended.

Vane Alasse--Do you know Shelly IRL? It sounds like you do. (3rd floor Foster? Is that a hall at her school? And you said you "found" our story.) Thanks! Glad to know we stand out above the rest! Life size? --laughs insanely for a few moments-- Sadly, that WOULD have made sense to me, lol. Hey, you're a signed review, if you have problems finishing stories, make use of Author Alert. It's a lifesaver. ;-) Lol...is that info a subtle hint for us to read your fics? Lol...keep reading, and keep enjoying it, please!

Pallas Analise--Freaky OCs? Of course not. (Don't tell the FFN paranoid police, but they're not THAT original...it's basically us.) Practical and smart? Thanks! :-) I know what you mean about being swamped--I have like ten fics by people I know that I'm GOING to read...eventually! Lol. I hope you get back to us soon and continue to enjoy!

IwishChan--thanks! Hope you keep enjoying it!

Tinánia Legolinde--I think that's EVERYONE'S objection to this story! Lol. When do they go back? Oh, come on, why is everyone trying to weasel spoilers out of me??? Um...eventually. Don't worry, it's written and planned out. Don't think that we're just going to let them go on living there forever and ever and have the parents never return and just keep writing forever or anything. (Though it is kind of tempting, lol...)

Arami--Thanks! No, we make no secret of it--Shelly and Sarah are based on me and my coauthor. Yes, that shifting point of view is actually two different authors. (Taurnlaideelvish for Shelly, Tarienelvish for Sarah, roughly.) And almost all of the "OCs" in here are based on real people (though their names are often changed). Really, other than changed names and the fact of the Fellowship showing up, the entire thing is completely grounded in reality. Enjoy this update!

Now...ON WITH THE STORY!

Chapter Thirty-Two--Trapped  
Sarah POV

I love "Pirates of the Caribbean," but as curious as I was as to how Frodo and Legolas weould react to seeing Will, I also wondered how fangirlish I would be snuggled in my boyfriend's arms.  
I really tried to pay attention at first. Really. We lasted up until the town in the movie was attacked. I'm not huge on battle scenes and my attention wanders--even with Lord of the Rings. I leaned back against Frodo and closed my eyes, and the next thing I knew he was kissing the top of my head. I smiled and snuggled back further, and then he kissed my cheek right in front of my ear. I turned my head and he turned it into a lips kiss. After that we paid more attention to each other and our softly whispered conversation than the movie. I tried to point out the funny and cool moments to Frodo, but seriously, given the choice of staring at the image of Orlando Bloom with an open shirt or closing my eyes and feeling Frodo's kiss live and in the flesh...yeah. That'll be option B for me, please!  
After the movie Shelly made pizza and we ate by candlelight.  
"The candles are so romantic," I sighed.  
Frodo put his hand over mine. "It reminds me of home," he said softly.  
I looked over at him.  
"Homesick?" I asked.  
He bit his lip, then shook his head. "I'm not sure." He paused, but when I frowned slightly he explained. "In certain ways, yes. But you're here."  
I blinked back tears, and sat there smiling like an idiot. For a moment I wanted to ask him if he meant that, but I knew he did because I knew the reverse would be true. I decided to mull that over and get into more detail later.  
Shelly and Legolas did the dishes, leaving me and Frodo the semi-privacy of the living room until everyone got home. We weren't complaining about that.  
Of course when everyone got home we had to hear all about it. Cody and Mike didn't stick around because it was already getting close to nine, so Frodo suggested that we watch the movie again since the others hadn't seen it. Really it was because he hadn't seen enough to make heads or tails out of it. With more of an audience, though, we kept the PDAs to a minimum and he got it this time.  
After that everyone headed to bed, so of course Frodo and I made our way out to the front porch. We settled down fairly quickly and I snuggled up against him, feeling very safe and protected.  
"Frodo?"  
"Hmm?" he murmured softly. I was pretty sure he was awake since he was running his fingers through my hair.  
"Are you almost asleep or can I ask you a question?"  
"Ask."  
"Did you mean what you said earlier? About not knowing if you're homesick?"  
"Of course."  
"What do you mean by that?"  
"Well, love...I miss my home, I miss Middle-Earth and Bag End particularly, but I wouldn't trade time with you to have them back. I would rather stay here forever than go home if it meant I could be with you."  
My eyes got all teary again. "Really?"  
"Yes. And I know that someday we'll go back, and you and I will have to part, and the things that I sorely miss here will be small consolation when I have them and I'm sorely missing you." He sighed deeply, and without even looking I reached up and wiped a tear off his cheek.  
"Now," I whispered.  
"Hmm?"  
"Remember what you said, what we agreed. We don't have forever, but we have now." He sighed again, softer, and kissed my hair. I turned my face and kissed him on the lips, and it turned into a rather prolonged, passionate exchange. It ended up that he was only half sitting up and I was laying on my stomach on top of him. "Love?" I asked softly.  
"Yes?"  
"I wouldn't want you to stay here. It would change you."  
He frowned. "What?"  
"If we ever find a way to be together I really hope that it's in your world or some other place, because I don't want you to stay here. It would change you. If you stayed you'd have to get a modern job and really learn to deal with the modern world--you think you're going through culture shock now, but we haven't even exposed you to everything. We're really sheltering you guys, and I think that if you had to cope with everything, you would not stay the same sweet Hobbit I've fallen in love with."  
"Middle-Earth would change you, too," he said, tracing a finger along my cheek. "You would have to change the way you dress, and learn to grow a garden and cook what you got from it, and probably to ride--"  
I put a finger over his lips, silencing him. "Yes, I know. I would have to learn a lot of SKILLS to live in your world. But in order to live in mine, you would have to learn a new set of VALUES. Do you understand?"  
He tilted his head for a moment, considering. "I think so."  
I nodded, then leaned in to kiss him tenderly. "I love you," I whispered, then buried my face in his chest. I fell asleep with his fingers still tangled in my hair, and woke the next morning the same way. I sighed softly.  
"Good morning, love," he said. "We need to get up and go in."  
I sat up a bit, kissed him good morning, and got up. We went inside and pretty much everyone else was awake. I went in Shelly's room to get dressed, and while I did, I realized something.  
"Hey, Shell," I said, walking out to the dining room, "Today's Friday, isn't it?"  
She nodded. Frodo looked up from his bacon to pay attention to this part.  
I sighed. "Today is the day that I'm SUPPOSED to go home."  
Frodo looked over at me. "What?"  
"I'm supposed to go home, and then my parents and I are supposed to go to St. Louis--that's five hour's drive, give or take--and visit my sister and brother."  
"You can't leave now!" Frodo said.  
I smiled. "That's my point. At the end of the summer I'm moving up there anyway so it won't kill me to miss one visit." I pulled my cell phone out of my pocket and moved to the kitchen. Shelly and Frodo followed me to hear what came next, and Shelly shushed the rest of the guys while I called home. "Hi, Mom? Yeah...Listen. Shelly's parents are going to be gone four weeks instead of two. Yeah. We didn't find out until the day I got here. Listen, I really don't want to leave her alone--she's standing here pouting at that idea--so do you mind if I stay?" I held up my crossed fingers. "Well, Mom, I AM moving up there in about a month, I think I can miss one trip. I'll see them all the time, after this summer it'll be a good long while before I see Shelly." I paused, listening to my mom. "Really? Cool! Yeah, I'll see you when I get home. Yeah, I'll call if anything happens. Love you too. Bye."  
Frodo just stared at me. "That's it?"  
I shrugged. "I'm not that close with my parents. I'm closer with the family I would be visiting. And quite frankly one weekend with you is better than many, many weekends with any of them. Now, here's the thing--I'm about out of clean clothes. I know I could do laundry, Shell, but I have a better idea."  
"What's that?" she asked.  
"Mom will be leaving at three to meet Dad at work and they'll go on from there. I vote that at four I leave, go home, and do laundry over the weekend, then come back on Sunday, I'd get back around ten Sunday morning."  
Frodo frowned. "You just said weekend with me!"  
I laughed. "Yes. You'll come with me. And we'll take three of the others. That way I'm not too alone with you and Shelly won't be here with seven people to deal with alone."  
Shelly shrugged. "Sounds good to me." We went back into the dining room and explained the plan, and let the guys settle who would go with me and Frodo. As if it wasn't an obvious plan, it was decided that the four Hobbits would go with me and the others would stay with Shelly.  
As we were doing the dishes, I pulled Sam aside. "Now listen, Sam, when we're at my house, I want you to do me a favor. I'm sure Frodo will appreciate it, too."  
"What's that, Sarah?"  
"Keep Merry and Pippin from wrecking any alone time Frodo and I manage to find. There's some pretty forest and stuff around my house, and I imagine we'll take several long walks, and you keep Merry and Pippin busy, okay?"  
Sam nodded. "I'll do my best. I know Mr. Frodo would like to spend more time with you than--than he can."  
I smiled warmly. "Thanks, Sam."  
After we finished the dishes, I went off to pack my stuff, and I heard laughter coming from Kimmie's room as the four Hobbits packed. Frodo, ever the gentleman, insisted on carrying my bags to the car. We sat and played GameCube for a little while, and when four o'clock rolled around, we piled in the car and left.  
"Why does Frodo get to sit up front all the time?" Pippin asked. I hadn't realized anyone had noticed that, but for Pippin's benefit I held up mine and Frodo's intertwined hands. "Oh."  
I laughed.  
It's an hour to my house, and after a while most of the guys fell asleep. The sun was starting to fade about halfway to my house.  
"You're moving away soon?" Frodo asked.  
I nodded. "So I'll be closer to my sister than my parents. Also for college--that's schooling. After you finish basic school you go to college to learn specific things for a specific job."  
Frodo nodded, though I'm sure he didn't really understand. "So you're leaving this place?"  
"Yes, and going to live in a big city called St. Louis, exactly what I've dreamed of doing all my life."  
"You prefer cities to this kind of place?"  
"Absolutely. Plus it's farther from my parents."  
"You don't get along with them?"  
"Well...we don't really fight...it's just..." I sighed. "I am ready to be independent. We have our differences, most of which will kind of fade away when I leave, and we'll get along better."  
"Do you like it here?"  
"Well...Arkansas is pretty. It makes nice photographs, and it's a nice place to visit. But I hate living here. Though I admit I'm glad it's given me the opportunity to meet you."  
"Why do you dislike it?" he asked.  
"Hate it, Frodo. Really hate this area. Let me try to explain." We were just coming down a hill. "Tell me, what's the farthest away thing you can see up ahead?"  
He squinted a little. "A mountain."  
"Right. Now look off to the left and what's the farthest away thing?"  
"A mountain."  
"And to the right?"  
"A mountain. And the same behind, I'm sure."  
"Precisely. And I feel...trapped. Walled in by them. I wonder so much what's on the other side, but I've been on the other side of every one of them, and all that's there is more mountains. You have to go hours and hours away to escape. And that's all I want. I want to spend my life somewhere where I can look off and see for miles and miles and miles, all the way to a flat horizon. Ideally that's forty floors up in an apartment building."  
"Forty floors?"  
"The tallest building in the world has something like...a hundred and nineteen floors. I think. Don't quote me on that. At any rate, forty floors is not uncommon in the city. People can't get enough land to build their buildings all spread out, so they stack them up."  
He nodded. "Logical."  
We drove through my small town about ten minutes later and I woke the guys up to point out the different places I visit often, including the treasure chest-shaped building where I take art classes. Then it was another fifteen minutes to my house--and no other towns in between. "Fifteen minutes from civilization," I said as I turned onto a dirt road.  
"I thought you said cars couldn't go off roads," Sam pointed out.  
"Notice how slow I'm going," I explained. "Only twenty compared to fifty-five on the highway." Less than half a mile later I turned onto our dirt driveway and up to my house. There was no car out front so I knew we were safe.  
"Here we are, guys," I said, shutting off the van. "Welcome to the humble abode of the Eborts."

A/N: Review! Then watch RotK EE!


	33. The Fine Line between Genius and Insanit...

DISCLAIMER: I don't own LOTR, if I did, I would already have the extended edition of ROTK.

Authoress's Notes:

SHELLY: Hey guys, just so you know we probably won't update for at least a week as CHRISTMAS is here. I hope you all have a blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year. This is your gift from me, Enjoy. And PLEASE REVIEW!!

Chapter Thirty-Three--The Thin Line Between Genius and Insanity  
Shelly POV

After Anne pulled away, Legolas turned to me. "Is that one of the friends you think is prettier than you?"

"I told you that my friends were prettier than me," I said.

"No, Shelly, my darling, you are much more beautiful. Plus, you are in love with me and that makes you twice as lovely as any other woman," Legolas said.

I looked over at him with tears in my eyes. "Honey, that is so sweet."

He pulled me into his arms and just held me. Suddenly, he pulled away from me and walked out of the room. Then, I heard a car horn go off. I ran to the front door to see Cody and Mike out there. Mike seemed really excited about something, but Cody seemed hesitant to come inside.

"Come in, guys. I wasn't expecting to see you today."

Mike grinned and ran into the house. Cody walked inside and gave me a hug.

"Okay, Fellowship," Mike started. Then he seemed to look around and notice that only four out of the eight were there. "Where is everybody else?"

"Sarah went home for the weekend and she took the Hobbits with her," I told them.

"Mike, let's go," Cody said, getting angry. Mike must have done something Cody had said not to.

"No, we can tell the ones that are here."

"Mike, you promised," Cody reminded him.

"What's going on? Promised what, Mike?" They headed for the door, but I had taken Cody's keys. "I want to know what's going on and I want to know, now." I said.

Cody turned around and looked at me. "Shelly, sit down." There was something in the tone of Cody's voice that practically made me obey. I sat down on the porch swing. "Tell her, Michael."

"Well, ever since the Fellowship arrived I've been working on a way to get them back to where they belong. I think I've finally figured it out." Then, he launched into this scientific mumbo jumbo that I didn't really understand. All I heard was that he thought he could send them back.

I sat there in shock for about a second, but once I found my voice, I smiled. "Good, I'm sure they'll be thrilled to be going back home. Why don't you go and tell the guys?"

"I still have a few more tests to run, but I plan to tell them on Sunday."

"Okay, well, I'm sure Legolas wants someone to beat at video games," I said.

Mike got an evil grin on his face and ran into the house. As soon as the door closed, I burst into tears. Cody pulled me into a hug, trying to calm me down. "It's all right. We aren't even sure it will work yet."

"It's not that they're leaving, I just didn't expect to have to say good-bye so soon. I'm not sure if I can," I sobbed. I sat out there for about five minutes before I felt calm. When I walked in the door, Legolas practically ran over to me and Cody.

"Are you okay?" he whispered. I smiled genuinely for his concern.

"I will be. I'll tell you later, okay?"

"Fine. Just remember, amin mela lle," he whispered as we went into the living room.

I smiled, remembering what the words meant. Just as we sat down, the phone rang. I picked it up and it was my mom. "Hey, Shelly. How's it going?"

"Great, how's everything up there?"

"Well, your aunt's getting better, but your father and I have been thinking. We don't want you to stay at the house alone, so we think you should fly up here tomorrow."

"Mom, Sarah and I talked about it and if it's okay, she's going to stay until you all get home."

"Oh, good. That's fine, but is that okay with Sarah's parents?"

"Yeah, they said it was okay."

"Good, well, I'll try to call you in a few days. Love you."

"I love you, too, Mom. Bye."

"Bye, Shelly." I hung up the phone and walked back over to the couch. "Well, that's taken care of." I had been wondering when she was going to call. Once dinnertime came around, I made spaghetti. I usually claim that I can't cook, but I can make a few dishes when I need to. After dinner, Cody and Mike went home. Aragorn, Gimli, and Boromir had developed a liking for classic movies and they started watching "Captain Blood" with Errol Flynn. After a few minutes, Legolas asked me to go for a walk, so I went to put my shoes on and when I came back, he was holding a bag.

"What's in the bag, hon?"

"You'll see," he said with a grin. Once we started walking, he took my hand. "So, what was wrong today?"

"I just found out something that I didn't expect to find out for a while. Now, what's my surprise?" By then, we'd reached the pool.

"Let's go for a swim." He pulled my swimsuit out of the bag and I grinned at him.

"Aww, that's so sweet." He let me go inside the fence to change and then when I let him in, he pulled off his shirt and jeans, and his swim trunks were underneath. Once we got in the pool, he swung me into his arms and held me.

"I wish this moment could last forever," I said, as I snuggled against his chest.

"Maybe it will," Legolas said, planting a kiss upon my head.

_Don't count on it, dear._

When we walked in the door, Aragorn immediately came over to us. "Why didn't you invite us to go swimming, mellon? We would have been happy to come with you."

"Aragorn, we..." I trailed off, not sure what to say.

"We wished to be alone," Legolas finished. Aragorn seemed to understand and back off.

A little while later, we were heading to bed. Once I laid down next to Legolas, he put his arms around me and pulled me close. I began to quietly cry, realizing that there wouldn't be many more moments like this. Legolas must have felt me or seen me because, suddenly, he tilted my head up and kissed me. "Will you tell me what is the matter now, mellamin?"

I finally caved. "Mike told me he may have a way for you all to get home."

At first, Legolas didn't say anything. When he finally spoke, his tone was resigned. "Well, I knew this day would come, I just hoped it wouldn't come so soon," he said, playing with my hair.

"I feel the same way."

"Maybe you could come with us," he said hopefully.

"No, I'm not sure what we've messed up already. I know I haven't told you yet, but Sarah, Cody, Mike, and I are not in the book. It's just you all in Middle Earth, never here. If we went back with you, who knows what we would mess up?"

He closed his eyes for a secoond. "I understand." Then he looked at me tenderly. "Why don't we get some sleep? I know you're tired, we'll talk about this more in the morning."

I held him closer to me and fell asleep with him playing with my hair. The next morning when I woke up, he was gone. However, Mike and Cody were in the living room.

"Good morning, everyone," I said.

Mike looked really excited. Cody looked worried. I knew that Mike had figured out how to send them home. After breakfast, Mike sat everyone down and told them they could go home. They would have to wait for the next storm, which would be on Wednesday. It was already Saturday, so we had three days.

Everyone was really excited about it, except me, of course. Legolas put up a good front, too, but I could tell he was hurting. Once we were alone, I squeezed his hand.

"Don't worry. It'll be fine. We'll just make the most of these next few days."

He smiled genuinely at me.

I called Sarah later. "Sarah, I need you home as soon as possible on Sunday. Cody and Mike have some news they want to share with you."

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, just come home soon, okay?"

"Okay, fine. See ya then."

We trained for a while, but it was probably my worst ever. I kept picturing my life without Legolas and I had no idea how I would make it, but I knew that I had to keep up a good front for him. No more of this crying business.

After lunch, Cody, Mike, and the rest of the guys worked at the camp for a while. Then, after dinner, they played a few rounds of Nintendo. After the Cody and Mike left, we went to bed. Legolas finished another book and started "Robin Hood."

He really liked "The Prince and the Pauper." He said he wished he had a double, because he could do a lot of things then. I wondered if he meant he could stay with me and someone else could be the Prince of Mirkwood and go questing.

The next morning, after church, Cody and Mike came over, and then all we had to do was wait for Sarah to arrive and deliver the bad news.

A/N:OH NO!!! DUMB MICHAEL!!! WHY DID HE HAVE TO DO THAT???? Review and let me know what you think. What will Sarah's reaction be?? Oh and btw, Amin mela lle means i love you. Review, but remember flames will only be used for the big bonfire where the ORLI Fangirls will burn KATE BOSWORTH!!!. Only kidding. Have a beautiful Christmas. Love to all of our readers. :)


	34. Weekend At the Ebort's

DISCLAIMER: We do not own Lord of the Rings. If we did, the RotK EE would have shown Faramir and Eowyn's kiss! 

Authoress's Notes:

SARAH: Mmm. Lotsa mush going on here. I likes it muchly. I hope everyone had a Merry and Pippin Yuletide! Enjoy.

Chapter Thirty-Four--Weekend at the Ebort's  
Sarah POV

When we went inside my house, I told the Hobbits to leave their bags (and mine, thanks to Frodo) by the door so I could give them the grand tour. "To the left of the entryway here," I said, "We have the dining room. The room here in the center of the house is the kitchen. These stairs go up to my parent's room." I started up the stairs but all four Hobbits stopped. "What?"

"Your house has an upstairs?" Frodo asked incredulously.

Of course. I'd all but forgotten that Hobbits rarely have two-story homes. "And a downstairs," I said. "There's a basement below this floor. Anyway, come on up. There's a rail, Mom and Dad go up and down here every day, I assure you it's safe." I bounded up the stairs quickly, and they followed at a more cautious speed. "So this is Mom and Dad's room, and over on the right here, we have the loft. Unfinished at the moment. Yes, there's a hole in the floor and you can see the kitchen, someday there'll be a railing around it. And they have their own bathroom up here. Now, back downstairs." I led them back where we'd already been, back past the front door to the other side of the house. "This is the living room, and yes, we have three couches in here. My aunt moved away and gave us her old one, which was newer than both the ones we had, and we just haven't had a chance to get rid of the old one yet." On the other end of the living room was a spot with a door on either side. I stood in it, facing them, and pointed in each direction. "This on my left is the bathroom, and on my right is my bedroom. We'll come back to that momentarily." I stepped forward, because right next to the bathroom door are the stairs leading to the basement. "Now come on down here." I quickly showed them the guest apartment (complete with kitchenette and bathroom of its own), the laundry room (which is more of a wide hallway), and my dad's workshop and study. "Now, guys," I said.

"We need to figure out where you want to sleep. Obviously Frodo's staying in my room, am I right?"

Frodo nodded. "Obviously."

"Okay then. Now, you three could stay in the guest apartment, two on the bottom bunk and one on top, but that means if you need me for anything you'll have to climb stairs and everything. I was thinking it might be better for you guys to just each take a couch, that way you're all right there on one floor."

The guys thought that was a good idea (and none of them were quite sure what to do with the thought of sleeping on a "top bunk"), so while I was downstairs I got blankets and pillows and we took them up with us so they could sleep on the couches.

"Now, what about your room?" Frodo asked me.

I smiled, blushing a little. "Before we go in there, love, I want to warn you..."

"Yes?"

"Remember how at Shelly's house she had pictures over her bed?"

Frodo nodded. "Of the actor that played Legolas and that Will Turner from the movie last night?"

"Right. Well...I don't exactly have pictures of him or of Elijah Wood, but--well--you'll just have to see." I pushed open the door and led him inside.

The first thing you see is my bed and bookshelves, and my desk, but as you turn, directly to the left of the door is all my electronic equipment (TV, DVD player, and such), and behind that is my Lord of the Rings Tribute Wall. It's covered in pictured from Lord of the Rings, and the centerpiece is a 22x33-inch poster that's a huge closeup of Frodo holding the Ring in his outstretched hand.

"Power can be held in the smallest of things. Lord of the Rings, the Fellowship of the Ring," Frodo read. He looked over at me. "I'm flattered, but that's really, really weird to look at."

"What about all the rest of them?"

He looked over the rest of the wall. To the right of that poster is another one, same size, that's a collage of Legolas pictures.

"That was a gift from Shelly," I said. He nodded, almost smirking. To the left is another one, but with all nine members of the Fellowship.

"It's an incredible likeness to Gandalf," he said. "That's actually..." He bit his lip. "I like that one." While he stood there, staring up at it, I came to his side, took his hand, and leaned my head on his shoulder. My eyes wandered down to 12 smaller pictures lined up in two rows. I'd had a calendar, and at the end of the year I'd cut it apart and put up all the pictures.

Suddenly, though, I realized that it was a TWO TOWERS calendar. "Waitaminit!" I cried, turning Frodo to face me.  
"What?"

I bit my lip. "There's some you don't need to see yet, you'll know things you shouldn't know."

His eyes widened. "Um. Right. I'll go out in the living room while you fix that." He walked out of the room.

I quickly took down the pictures of Gandalf the White and Faramir, then used Post-Its to cover Gandalf and Gollum on a Two Towers collage. Granted, he wouldn't recognize Faramir, but if he noticed the family resemblance to Boromir or asked who that was and I had to explain, things could get complicated quickly. "Okay!" I called, and he came back in to look at the rest of the pictures while I hid those in a cabinet over my desk. While he wasn't looking I also picked up the statue of Gollum that came with the extended Two Towers DVD and put that out of sight, too.

"What's under this piece of paper?" he asked, meaning the Post-Its.

"Why do you think that's there?" I retorted, smiling.

He shrugged. "The rest of them are all right, I guess," he said, "But that big one is just too weird to look at all the time."

"All right," I said. "I'll take it down while you're here so you're not all creeped out. But I'm putting it back up when we go back to Shelly's house, okay?"

"Fine."

I dragged the chair of my desk over to that wall and unstuck the sticky-tack holding it up, then opened up my closet and laid it under my dresser so I wouldn't have to roll it up.

"What's in that box?" Frodo asked, indicating a flat cardboard box that I was setting the poster on top of.

"Drawings," I said. "My drawings. That's my unicorn hanging on that wall over there, and there's two of my paintings leaning against the wall over by my computer," I pointed. "Go look while I get these out." I knew he wanted to look and it had been a while since I'd been through my portfolio, so it wouldn't hurt for me to browse, either.

"These are beautiful," he said of the paintings. One was of a ship with purple sails, sunset clouds in the sky, and the other was, admittedly, Shire-inspired--rolling green hills, bright blue sky, and a red dirt road made by wagon wheels. "Am I reading incorrectly, or is the name on that ship Eärendil?"

"Yeah, that's right," I said, smiling, holding the box. "I heard it in the books and movies and it seemed appropriate, as he was a mariner and all. Plus it sounds pretty."

Frodo looked up at me and smiled. "And this other one--it looks like home."

"It was meant to," I said. "Now come on, let's go show these to the others."

We spent the next half-hour in the living room, looking over my drawings and paintings. I cringed, looking at some of the older ones from when I first started taking art classes, but no one had anything bad to say about any of them. When we got to the bottom Frodo insisted on showing the guys the three in my room, and after they did that and I put the portfolio away, then they caught sight of the LotR wall.

"What's the big space for?" Pippin asked.

"A huge picture of me, believe it or not," Frodo said, shaking his head. "It was really weird to look up and see ME staring back at me."

I laughed.

Merry and Pippin quickly found their own pictures, and Pippin took a smug satisfaction in the fact that there was one more of him than of Merry, despite the fact that I explained it was not intentional. Frodo came to my defense, though, and pointed out that there were more of him by a landslide and even Sam had them both beaten--though only by one. I couldn't help but crack up at that. "So what do you guys want to do?" I asked. "We could watch a movie, play one of my video games...pretty much what we did at Shelly's house," I said.

"What about dinner?" Merry asked.

"Sure." I opened the second door of my room (it opens up onto the dining room, my house is laid out with the kitchen in the center and a room on each side) and headed for the kitchen. "Since there's only five instead of ten or twelve, I think I can cook by myself," I said, "So go ahead and take a seat." The guys took the opportunity to put their bags where they wanted and then sat at the dining room table. We had lasagne, and then Frodo helped me with the dishes while the other three watched TV. There's a window between the kitchen and the living room, right over the sink, so we were able to watch, too, but we were too busy talking to pay too much attention to the show. When we finished, the sun was starting to set, so I turned on the lamps in the living room and turned on a light in my room, then sat on the couch furthest from the TV next to Frodo. "You want to go for a walk?" I asked.

He shrugged. "Sure." We went in my room and I got my jacket, which he helped me put on, and he got his cloak, which looked kind of funny--but cute nonetheless--over his black jeans and sky-blue sweater.

Once we were outside, we just kind of meandered off into the forest, hand-in-hand. I led him towards our back field, and once we were clear of the trees he understood what I was doing.

The back field is at the top of the hill, and it's a huge clearing--almost the only spot on our property that's empty of trees.

"You can really see the sunset from here," Frodo pointed out.

I nodded. "It's the only place you can really see the sky. This is as close as I can get to being able to see everywhere."

He looked over at me sympathetically, then back at the sky. "Lucky we came here tonight, then, because the sun is really putting on a show." He was right, the sky was dramatically lit in oranges and reds that ever-so-subtly faded to the deep purple that was directly over our heads. Frodo sat down and I sat next to him, curling my knees up to my chest and leaning against his side, placing my head in the crook of his neck.

"Have you ever wondered how fate can be so cruel?" Frodo asked out of nowhere.

"Hmm?"

"Well...it's just...would you agree that we were meant to meet, and to fall in love?"

"Of course," I whispered.

"Then how come there's not a way for us to stay together forever?"

I sighed. "It doesn't make sense, does it?"

"That's what I thought...so following that line of reasoning, wouldn't it make sense if there WAS a way for us to stay together?"

I looked up at him. "Yeah." I let it sink in for a moment, and then, in a brighter tone, repeated, "Yeah! I just wish I knew what it was."

He smiled. "Let's not worry about it."

"Now," I said, smiling. I leaned over and kissed him, and he pulled me into his arms and held me, kissing back.

We stayed outside for quite a while, and when we came back in the other three were watching a movie on TV, a murder mystery. I went and unpacked my bag and started my laundry, and then asked the guys to put whatever they wanted washed in the hamper in the bathroom.

As the hour approached midnight we all changed for bed. Merry, Pippin, and Sam each laid a blanket over the couch, put a pillow in place, and then had another blanket to cover up with. Frodo and I quietly slipped into my room. I closed and locked the door on the dining room side but left the door on the living room side slightly open. I laid down facing Frodo and he pulled me into his arms.

"You know," he began softly, "I never expected to fall in love. Not just here, and not just since the Quest started. Even before everything started happening, I honestly thought I'd live out my life as a bachelor."

"Technically you still are one," I pointed out.

"Technically, but now I'm not a confirmed bachelor," he smiled. "And I don't know what I was thinking, thinking I could live without this in my life."

I sighed softly. "You say things so beautifully." I couldn't help but kiss him. "I never thought I could care so much about someone."

We kissed again, longer since this was our goodnight kiss. "I love you, Sarah."

I sighed, long and deep and soft, and let myself fall asleep. This was all I'd ever wanted.

Amazingly, I woke first in the morning. I opened my eyes to see Frodo's shirt, and I snuggled closer. Unfortunately, certain instincts forced me to crawl out of bed, but I didn't wake Frodo.

On my way back from the bathroom, I checked on the other three--still asleep. I smiled and crawled back in bed.

Frodo stirred. "Sarah?" he murmured.

I lay down in his arms and kissed him softly. "Good morning, love. We're the only ones awake. Let's just stay here as long as we can. We know Cod--"

He cut me off with a kiss. "I love you."

I smiled, burying my face in his chest. "You're the sweetest."

He stroked my hair. "Sarah, love?"

"Mmm?" I murmured sleepily. I was only half-awake.

"Why do you never say you love me, too?"

"'Cause I don't."

He sat up halfway. "What?"

I grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him back down, then wrapped my arms around his neck. "Hear me out," I said. "You know I love you. Completely, totally, with all I have to give. You know that, right?"

He half-smiled. "Right..."

"And I love you regardless of how you feel about me. I just got lucky this time in that you love me the same."

He raised an eyebrow. "And...?"

"So I don't love you TOO, I just love you. So I don't like saying that that way." I leaned up and kissed him. "I love you. Period."

He smiled.

We stayed there, not quite awake but definitely not sleeping, for another forty-five minutes before I heard someone stirring in the living room. Sam stuck his head around the door, blushing red as a stop sign.

I pulled back from one last kiss and laid flat on my back. "If you want to start breakfast I'll be there in a minute."

The day passed quietly, movies and video games (per usual). Shelly called after lunch. I turned down the TV and took the cordless in my room. She said she wanted me home as soon as possible Sunday but wouldn't explain why. I sat there, puzzled, until I looked up and saw Frodo standing in the doorway.

"That was Shelly, wasn't it?"

I nodded.

"Is something wrong?" he asked, concern filling his tone.

I shook my head. "I don't know. She sounded upset but said it was all good." At his blank stare I explained, "It's all good, it's okay, all right, no problem."

He nodded.

That evening I finished up the laundry and repacked. Frodo and I took our dinner back out to the field and made a picnic of it. Sam was, apparently, keeping Merry and Pippin at bay.

That night, when I got into bed, I laid flat on my stomach. Frodo sat beside me, facing the head of the bed, and placed a comforting hand on my back, massaging a small circle. "What's wrong?" he asked.

How did he KNOW? How did he do that? "I'm just a little worried about tomorrow. Shelly was upset and trying to hide it, but I could tell."

"Well, if it was really bad, she would have made you leave immediately, right?"

"I suppose."

"And, really, what's the worst that could happen?"

I sat bolt upright. "That's it!" I cried.

"What?" he asked, eyes full of worry.

"You're leaving soon! I'll bet you anything they figured out how to get you home!" Suddenly a horrible thought came to me and I clapped my hand over my mouth. "Oh, Lord, I hope no one already left! I hope it wasn't an accident!" I threw myself into his arms and pulled him close. "No! This can't be happening!" I was already in tears before he'd pulled me tighter to him and my first sentence sunk in.

"We can't go back. Not this soon!"

"You'll have to," I choked out. "No wonder Shelly wouldn't tell me. Now tonight is all spoiled."

Frodo grabbed my shoulders and held me away from him, forcing me to look at him. "No, it's not. Nothing has changed except that it may be sooner than we were planning. And we don't even know for sure if that's what it is." He cupped my face and wiped away my tears with his thumbs. "Now," he said softly.

I sniffled. "I'm sorry. You're right."

From then on he whispered sweet nothings and kept my mind on the moment until I drifted off to sweet dreams.

Still, I couldn't help but feel an awful sense of foreboding when we pulled up in Shelly's driveway at noon the next day.

A/N: So now the bomb is about to be dropped. Here we hit the angsssst, precious. Review and Shelly will sing Viggo Mortensen's song Half-Fling.


	35. Bittersweet Homecoming

DISCLAIMER:I do not own LOTR, if I did, Legolas would be my precious. 

Authoress's Notes:

SHELLY: Here is where the sad news comes. This was my first hintat any slight angst, I hope it's alright. Read and Review or I'll tell Gollum you've got the Precious.

Chapter Thirty-Five--Bittersweet Homecoming

Shelly POV

As Sarah pulled up, Mike began to do a dance he invented once during camp. It's called "The Moron Dance," and it's really simple. He clasps his hands together, making an upside-down V with his arms in front of himself, then swings his arms to the right, then the left, swinging his hips in the opposite direction. I couldn't believe that he was so excited that he had found a way to "save" the Fellowship.  
Once Sarah had stopped the car, she jumped out and we ran and gave each other a big hug.  
"You would think they had not seen each other in quite some time," Legolas said to Cody.  
"Women," was the only response Cody gave.  
As the guys brought the bags in, Sarah and I went on ahead. "What's going on, Shelly?" Sarah asked once we were inside.  
"You better sit down, Sarah. I don't think you're going to believe this." We walked into my room and Sarah sat down. "Now, apparently..." I was interrupted by a knock on the door. "Yes?" I said, as I opened the door. My knees turned to jelly, because there stood Legolas grinning like an idiot, with Frodo beside him. "What?" I asked.  
"Nothing," he said, as he walked into the room. "I just love you. That's all"  
I grinned back at him. "I love you, too." After that, I sat Frodo down next to Sarah and I opened my mouth to tell them the news that I thought would bring their world crashing down. "Sarah...Mike is going to tell you..."  
Sarah was looking around my room, and happened to look over my bed. She couldn't help interrupting. "Where are your Orli posters"  
"Oh," I blushed, "Legolas taught me to dance, but he would only do it if I took down the posters"  
"Even your life-size one?" Sarah asked, shocked. I used to have a huge door poster of Orli, but when you've got the real Legolas, you don't need a poster. "Yes, even the big one. He let me keep the white one, though, since it was a present from Nicky. Now, do you want to know what Mike is going to tell you or not?" I asked.  
"I think we already know, don't we, Sarah?" Frodo said, taking Sarah's hand.  
"Mike has a way to send them back, right?" Sarah asked, squeezing Frodo's hand in return.  
"How did you know that?" Legolas asked incredulously. "'Cause she's the genius," I said, sarcastically. Sarah and I had taken our ACT together and she had gotten two points higher on hers than I did. We always teased each other about it.  
"Actually, that was the only thing you'd call me for. If someone was hurt, you would've said so"  
"Well, Legolas and I just didn't want you to be surprised and instinctively go to each other first," I explained. "Mike would throw a fit"  
Sarah smiled. "Yeah, he'd have kittens. That was smart, Shelly. For once," she added, laughing. Of course, my boyfriend, who can be just a tad overprotective, became defensive. "Shelly is very intelligent," he started, but I quickly grabbed his arm.  
"Sarah was just joking, hon," I said. He pulled me close to him. "I could never let someone believe that you were not smart," he said, kissing me lightly.  
"And that's exactly one of the reasons I love you," I said. "Now, if we don't get out of here soon, Mike is going to wonder what's going on." The four of us went out into the living room. Sure enough, the first words out of Mike's mouth were, "What took you so long?"  
"We were answering some questions that Frodo and Legolas had. Have you told Merry and Pippin yet?"  
"Nope, we were waiting for you," Cody said, so everyone sat down and Mike began.  
"Ever since you've got here, I've been trying to figure out how to get you all home. I've done some experiments, and some studying, and I think I know how to do it." He trailed off into something about weather patterns and the average velocity of a person running and heat energy created by a group of people. None of us really understood it, but he summed up with, "So when the next storm comes, you'll be able to go right back where you came from"  
Merry and Pippin immediately leapt for joy and began dancing around the room, singing some silly song about bath time. Sam, however, looked worried. He glanced toward Sarah and Frodo quite a bit.  
Mike had to admit, though, there was a catch, and it was kind of an anticlimax to his little speech. "However, the next storm won't be here until at least Wednesday." Frodo and Legolas looked visibly relieved. "And that's why they call me the genius," he finished.  
"But I thought that was Sarah," Frodo said, quietly. At that, Cody, Mike, Sarah, and I began to laugh. Mike said, "That was a joke. Sarah's smarter than I am in books, but I'm smarter than her in other things. I am, however, the resident science whiz." Everyone seemed to understand that, surprisingly enough. Then, they sat down and began to play Nintendo like nothing was wrong--even though Frodo and Legolas were the ones most affected, I'm sure it wasn't easy for everyone else to act like they weren't worred. Cody and Mike left a little while later. I decided to cook supper and give Sarah and Sam the night off. I put a pan of lasagna in the oven and went and sat down next to Legolas, and soon, they had involved me in the Nintendo game. I quickly lost track of time until Aragorn asked, "What's burning?" "MY LASAGNA!!!" I ran to the kitchen, but it was too late to save it. It was blackened all the way through.  
"Anybody for Cajun style?" Sarah asked.  
At that, I began to cry. Legolas took me into his arms, but I could tell he was trying not to laugh. I looked up at him. "Well, I guess we'll be having pizza tonight." We ordered pizza and we put extra mushrooms on Pippin, Merry, and Sam's. Soon, everyone was ready to go to bed. Legolas and I headed for the porch. I really like sleeping outdoors and being with Legolas made it extra special. As we sat down on the swing, I put my head on his shoulder and said, "You know, we've never really talked about your family, have we?"  
"We have discussed them as much as we have discussed yours," he answered.  
"Okay, fair enough, I'll answer questions about my family, then you can answer questions about yours. Does that sound fair?"  
"Yes, of course. My first question is: how many brothers and sisters do you have?"  
"Well, I only have one younger sister, but you met Allen. Allen thinks he's my brother, but in reality he's not"  
"What about Cody? You two seem to get along really well"  
I laughed just a little. "You wouldn't have thought that a year ago. We use to fight all the time, but this year, we became much better friends. I'm glad, who knows what I would have done with you had he not been here to help. I guess in a way, he's a lot like family to me. We've known each other forever, even longer than Sarah and I have known each other. He's been there for as long as I can remember. I guess we're finally able to accept each other as friends," I explained to the love of my life.  
"So, there's never been anything between you and him? Pippin and Merry have a bet that you two were courting until I came along"  
"Well, they're morons. I did date every once in a while, but nothing serious and never Cody. There's only been one elf for me," I said grinning at him. "Oh, do I know him?" Legolas said innocently.  
"No, I don't think so. He's a prince, kind of a snob. He's kind of dumb too, really blonde at times." The whole time I was talking, Legolas was looking more and more shocked. "Well," he said in mock indignation, "You are cheating on me. I'm shocked and hurt"  
"Aww, how can I make it up to you, my dear?" I said, looking up into his gorgeous eyes.  
"I think I'll come up with something," he said, leaning down to kiss me tenderly. He held me close, leaving little kisses all down my neck that made me shiver. A few moments later, I began to fall asleep with him humming a familiar tune. He began to sing just as I fell asleep. "Don't go breakin' my heart..." I grinned up at him and laughed. He grinned back. "I thought you were asleep"  
"I almost was, honey. But I had to figure out what you were humming first," I told him.  
"Well, I like to think of it like it is our song," he said, smiling.  
"It is, mellamin, it is," I told him.  
The next morning I woke up with my fingers wound up in his long blonde hair and his strong arms around me, making me feel protected. As I lay there, I decided to go on in and have breakfast. About ten minutes later, I was seated with my back to the door, eating my cereal, and Sarah was sitting across from me. Apparently, we'd both beaten our boyfriends up this morning, for once. "So, how are you and Frodo taking the news"  
She sighed. "We'll be fine. As long as he's here, I'm fine. It's when he leaves that I'll get spastic"  
We began to laugh a little nervously, and I heard the door open.  
"Good morning, beautiful. How was your night?" Legolas said, dropping a kiss on my head as he walked by. I giggled a little, thinking of the song, and wondering if he'd heard it on TV or something. Then I looked over at Sarah. She had her hand pressed against her mouth to contain her giggles and she was staring at the kitchen. I turned to look. Legolas' hair was everywhere! It looked like he had stuck his fingers in a light socket! I immediately burst out laughing, which woke up Aragorn and Boromir.  
They sat up, took one look at Legolas and cracked up. That woke the rest of the house and soon everyone was laughing at my poor Legolas and he had no clue why.  
"WHAT IS SO AMUSING?" he yelled.  
"Honey, have you looked in a mirror this morning?" I asked him. He ran for the bathroom and looked in the mirror. We all heard the long, drawn-out scream. "MY HAIR!!!!!!!!!!"  
Sarah looked at me and said through her insane giggles, "He can survive Moria with perfect hair, but a few weeks with us and look at him!" I immediately cracked up again and didn't stop until Legolas made me. He came back with his hair all down and combed out, and a hairband around his wrist to put it back in a ponytail. He bent and kissed me. "Now, none of that, and next time you wish to play with my hair, be sure it is with a brush and that you make even braids"  
"Instead of the mophead look?" Sarah cut in.  
I giggled just a little at Legolas' pouty expression, but he glared at me, so I put my hand over my mouth, trying sheepishly to stop.  
Sarah reached over to Frodo, who was sitting next to her by then, and ruffled his hair. "That's the nice thing about Hobbit hair, you can't mess it up"  
"Hey!" Frodo grabbed her wrist, but let go when she smiled at him. She kissed him on the cheek.

A/N:m HA, HA, my poor baby's hair. Oh well, I guess that's how the cookie Kingdom crumbles. Anywho, read and review, PLEASE!! You'll make a poor college student's day.


	36. The Last One To Know

DISCLAIMER: We do not own LotR. If we did, I would have cast some of my Acting I and II classmates for cameos.

Authoress's Notes:  
SARAH: Poor Mike. --innocent grin, reaches up to straighten her halo-- Oh, and Hobbity, I think Cody's been through enough, you can let him go now. --wink--

Chapter Thirty-Six--The Last One to Know  
Sarah POV

Well, there it was. I had been right, and Frodo and I had only two full days left together, and what little was left of Sunday, and whatever of Wednesday was to be had--which, knowing Mike like I did, was probably as little as possible. He'd want to get up at the crack of dawn and wait around for whatever conditions he was looking for.

So now what? Mike and Cody stuck around that night and as long as Mike was there I had no excuse to go to anyone for comfort. I sat and did random sketches while the guys all played Nintendo. I didn't talk to anyone, but no one seemed to notice because for once Legolas and Frodo were having a bad night and Mike was beating the pants off them. Mike was doubly happy at that--I wanted to SMACK him for being so happy about sending the guys home. If only he knew why he was winning. He'd want to smack me in return, but the look on his face would be so worth it.

Cody and Mike left BEFORE dinner for once, and at last we could drop our guards. I sat by Frodo at dinner and afterwards we sat on the couch, snuggling close.

At bedtime, Shelly and Legolas took the porch and let me and Frodo have the bedroom--which surprised me, I had been thinking it'd be the other way around since we'd had my bed at my house.

I cuddled myself up against Frodo, taking in his warmth, for once feeling extremely cold.

"We haven't really talked, yet, about this," he whispered, his nose resting against my cheek. He had his arms wrapped around my waist, keeping me close.

"Do you realize how little time we have left?" I asked. "Does the word 'Wednesday' mean anything to you?"

"I asked Cody."

I sighed. "I knew this would happen."

"Well, of course you did, we both did." Frodo frowned.

"No--I mean...well, yeah, we did. But in the back of my mind I was hoping we'd have a lot longer, like the whole month before Shelly's parents return, or even more, like a year...I don't know. That was wishful thinking. The reality is I knew that it would be too hopelessly soon."

He nuzzled his face against mine and kissed my cheek. "What makes you say that?"

I rolled onto my side, still leaning against him, and kissed him softly. "Here we have a phrase for things that seem to be incredibly good fortune. We say they're 'too good to be true.' It means that they sound really good--until someone points out the catch."

"Catch?"

"The if. For example, you might...oh, I don't know, see an ad for CDs and it seems like a really good price until you read 'plus shipping and handling,' the charge put on the package to get the CDs to you. Does that make sense?"

He nodded. "Mostly. I understand the point." He closed his eyes and leaned his forehead against mine for a second, then sighed. "There is no such phrase in the Shire, nor likely in all of Middle-Earth. People do mot make offers with 'ifs.' At least, nobody above an Orc." He started playing with my hair. "Sarah...I know it is impossible, but if it WAS possible, would you--"

"I'd go with you and live in the Shire," I said, knowing where he was going with his thought. It was sweet, knowing someone so well you could just tell.

"You would?" he asked, and I knew he'd been expecting me to say no, the silly Hobbit.

"No matter how we would have to work it, I want to be with you forever."

"That's how I feel about you, Sarah," he reminded me. It wasn't new information but it was so sweet to have it reaffirmed.

I smiled and kissed his cheek. "All the more reason, then. If that chance were mine to take, I would. I so would."

"You'd give it all up for me?"

I smiled, slightly confused. "All what?"

"All the technology, all your friends and family--"

"Do you think that any of it compares to love? Silly. Much as I do love it, it's a candle to the sun. Family included in that, honestly I'm only close to about five people in my family, and...well...much as I care about them, it just can't compete."

He nodded. "I think I understand. The only family I really, really care about are Uncle Bilbo, Merry, and Pippin."

"Yeah. And the ones I do care about, well, I don't see them that much anyway."

Suddenly I thought of something else and had to know. "Do you believe in eternal love?" I asked.

"What?"

"Do you believe that sometimes when people fall in love it lasts even into the afterlife? And I don't mean Valinor, I mean when people actually die."

"Of course," he said, as if it were silly not to believe it.

"So do I. Do you..." I paused. "Do you think we qualify for that? I mean, I know how I feel about you--"

He suddenly kissed me, long and hard, grabbing me by the shoulders and holding me to him. I kissed back, and when we finally pulled apart I had to catch my breath. "Have you any doubts?" he asked me, in a tone that said he NEEDED me to believe, as if his very life depended on it.

I smiled, stroking his hair. "No. I don't."

The calmness returned to is face.

"I do have a question, though, love."

"What's that?" he asked softly.

"Can we go back to 'now' for the time being? It means even more when we know how precious little time we have left."

He nodded, still smiling, and kissed me again.

When I woke in the morning, I was still tangled in Frodo's arms, and he was still asleep. I kissed the tip of his nose and he stirred slightly. "Sarah?" he murmured.

"Yeah." I smiled as his eyes slowly cracked open.

"Still sleepy?" I asked.

"Mmm..."

I giggled. "You go ahead and sleep. I'm hungry, I didn't eat much dinner." I kissed his cheek one more time and crawled out of bed.

Shelly was already eating cereal when I got out there, so I sat across from her, trying to be quiet for those who were still sleeping. However, that all flew out the window when Shelly and I saw Legolas' hair! She'd messed it up royally and it was hilarious to see the blonde locks all unkempt. However, that didn't last long, either.

After breakfast, Cody and Mike showed up, and we trained all morning long. I was surprised that Mike couldn't see that we weren't doing so well, especially when he beat me at swords. At last I offered to go in a little early and get lunch started while the guys finished up training. Frodo offered to help before Sam could.

Once we were outside and away from the back doors, Frodo pulled me into his arms. "Alone at last!"

I smiled, pulling away. "Yeah, I know, I was about ready to use the sword on Mike just so I wouldn't scream. But if we don't have lunch at least started they're going to get suspicious. Come on." I took his hand and pulled him into the kitchen.

We made hot dogs, and we were ready before the guys started coming in. I was standing at the counter and Frodo came up behind me, putting his hands on my shoulders. "Now that we're ready, can I make up for the time Pippin interrupted us?"

I smiled. "You know, you are just too irresistible sometimes." I turned my face and let him kiss me. After a moment I turned my whole body to face him and he leaned against me as I leaned against the counter. I hugged him around the waist and he cupped my face in his hands.

At least we got a little further this time before we were interrputed. Mike came in, slamming the door behind him, and started yelling. "Hey, Sarah, Gimli wanted to know what we're havi--" Apparently at that moment he spotted us, and Frodo and I hadn't pulled apart fast enough. "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?" Mike yelled.

"What we've BEEN doing for the past week, Mike," I said, hoping to calm him down.

"You can't do this!" Mike yelled again. "You idiot!"

Frodo frowned. "Don't talk to her that way! I won't hear it!"

I grabbed Frodo's wrist. "You knew he'd freak out, that's why we didn't tell him in the first place, remember?"

Frodo turned to look at me. "He still can't talk to you like that."

I sighed. "If there are guys you want to beat up for how they treated me, there are two guys in my past that did a lot more than call me an idiot, remember? Let it go this time."

Frodo sighed and nodded. "Fine. But he'd best not do it again."

I nodded, and kissed his cheek.

At receiving a command like that, Mike finally found his tongue. "You're ruining the story!" he yelled at me. "What if--what if the ending comes out differently because he misses you so much he can't do what he's supposed to?"

At least he wasn't saying that I had seduced Frodo or anything, at least he realized that we were genuinely in love. Still, I rolled my eyes. "Messing up the ending, messing up the ending, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah! I swear if I hear that one more time I am going to strangle someone!"

"Well, you ARE!"

"Well, SORRY, Mike, I guess I just missed that chapter in which the Fellowship of the Ring enters the year 2004!" I sighed. "Look, we've already been over all this with the rest of the guys, and they're okay with it. I know that I'll have to let Frodo go finish his quest. But for right now, we just--"

"I want to spend every moment possible with Sarah," Frodo said. "And quite frankly, I don't care what your precious little storybook says. Tolkien wasn't right about everything."

Mike frowned. "Tolkien was too right!"

I shook my head. "Frodo's thirty-four," I said.

Mike blinked. "Not fifty?"

Frodo shook his head and shrugged. "Not for another sixteen years."

While Mike stood there, realizing that his idol was fallible after all, the rest of the guys came in.

Shelly immediately assessed the situation. "Sarah?"

I nodded. "He caught us."

Amazingly, everyone else cleared out, leaving me, Frodo, Mike, Shelly, and Cody.

"Frodo and Sarah are...romantically involved," Shelly said, confirming it for Mike. I almost told Mike about her and Legolas, but the two of them had taken most of the heat when the Fellowship had found out, so I decided to return her the favor.

Cody shrugged it off. "Yeah, and? Anything I HAVEN'T heard about?"

Mike frowned at his cousin. "You mean you knew?

Cody nodded. "And if you weren't so dead-bent on getting the Fellowship home and unglued your eyes from the video game screen once in a while, you would have noticed, too. They're obviously in love."

Mike had no answer for that. "But what about the book?" he cried.

"The books aren't right about a few things anyway," Cody said. "Frodo's thirty-four."

"Am I always the last one to know everything?" Mike asked.

Shelly shrugged. "Yeah, I guess."

Mike scowled at her. "Thanks."

"You know, Tolkien himself had to rewrite one chapter of 'The Hobbit' because he admittedly messed it up, remember? 'Riddles in the Dark'? He had to edit it before Lord of the Rings would make sense," I mused.

Mike frowned. "Well, but--"

"But what?" Shelly asked. "What exactly are you going to do about it? You can't break Frodo and Sarah up, not with the rest of the Fellowship on their side."

At last Mike hung his head in defeat. "Fine! Ruin the story! I don't care!" He DID care, very much, but it was out of his hands and he knew when he was beaten.

I smiled. "Neither do I. Now, Shelly, do you have something to say?"

Shelly froze. "Um...well..."

"Say it or I will," I told her. "Hey, Legolas, could you come here for a minute?"

Legolas came out of his room and over to the dining room. "Yes, Sarah?"

I grinned wickedly. "Shelly has something to share with Mike, and I thought you'd want to be here."

"Not you, too!" Mike cried.

Legolas smiled and pulled Shelly into his arms. "Us, too."

Cody just laughed. "This is what we get for leaving them alone with eight guys," he told Mike. "I knew we should have sent them back to my house and WE should have stayed here with 'em."

"Right, we SO would have let that happen," Shelly said.

"Besides, we're not complaining," Frodo pointed out brightly. He kissed me on the cheek.

Mike didn't have much else to say after that. He sat in his little corner glowering all through lunch. After lunch Cody announced that work needed to be done up at the camp. Since we'd already trained for the day, we all decided to go up with him and Mike and help out.

A/N: Please review! The more nice reviews we get, the faster we update! wink wink


	37. Getting the Hang of Slang

DISCLAIMER: We don't own LOTR, if we did we would have loads of money 

Authoress's Notes:

SHELLY: GUESS WHAT TODAY IS????

Well go on guess...

I said guess....

Fine, i'll tell...

IT'S ORLANDO BLOOM'S 28th BIRTHDAY. To bad he's not here, I'd celebrate with him. gets faraway look in eye Okay, i'm back. On with the story, where did we leave off again. Oh yeah, Mike found out about us. :( Review and let me know if you guessed right. :)

Chapter Thirty-Seven--  
Shelly POV

In a way, I was glad that the cat was out of the bag about Legolas and me. The only bad part was that Mike could not be happy for us. At lunch, he kept glaring at Sarah and me. I think he believed that we had single-handedly caused the destruction of Middle Earth. Once we arrived at the campground to go to work, Cody once again took charge. "Legolas, Shelly, and I will do the pool, Sarah, Mike, and Frodo will clean the chapel, Gimli, Boromir, and Pippin will mow, and Merry, Sam, and Aragorn will sweep out the cabins. Now, split up and get to work"  
As we started walking to the pool, it suddenly occurred to me that Cody didn't need to help with the pool. I knew what I was doing.  
"Cody, why are you and Shelly both assisting in the pool? It would only take one of you," Legolas said, mirroring my thoughts.  
"Because I know what happened last time, and I want to keep an eye on you two," he said.  
Once we got there, Legolas insisted on vacuuming while I took the easier task of emptying the drains and Cody added chlorine. I began to think of how soon Legolas would be gone and I wasn't sure how I would face life without him. He had quickly become a huge part of my life. I realized I must have been standing there, thinking, for a little while, because the next thing I knew, Legolas had me in his arms.  
"No sad thoughts, mellamin, not right now. Sad thoughts must wait until later. Right now is the time to enjoy what we have," Legolas said, grinning at me. "I know, I just don't want to accept the fact that you're leaving. You know, you've never even taken me on a real date," I said, slightly teasing him. He got a really confused look on his face. "Isn't a date a type of fruit"  
I laughed until Cody spoke. "No, it means you take her out. C'mon, Legolas. I know you're blonde, but even you shouldn't be that dumb"  
I shot him a 'look' and he quickly shut up.  
"Is that what couples do here? Where do they go?" Legolas asked, setting me down.  
"Oh, they go out to dinner or a movie, bowling. Things like that," I said, smiling.  
"Well, Shelly, would you like to go on one of these dates tonight?" Legolas asked, with a teasing note in his voice.  
"As a matter of fact, princeling, I believe I would." At that, his face lit up with pleasure. "Really? Would you let me plan it as well?" he asked, like a little child asking if he could play with a new toy.  
"Of course, you asked me, so you have to plan it." I grinned at him. "Hey, why don't we ask Sarah and Frodo? They could use a date too," I said.  
"I get to plan it, mellamin," Legolas said with a teasing smile. "You head up to the main building and ask Frodo to come down here. Frodo and I will plan it together--with Cody's help, of course"  
"Who said I'd help?" asked Cody with a shocked look on his face. "I never said I'd help you"  
"Cody," I walked over to him, practically begging. "PLEASE. You know Sarah and I need this, plus you and Mike will have to stay with the others until we get back. C'mon, you know you want to beat them at Nintendo." "Oh, all right, but you and Sarah owe me"  
"All right. And Cody," I said, as I was walking out the door, "Don't do anything stupid." I was soon in the chapel. "Hey, Frodo, Legolas and Cody want some help at the pool and sent me to get you," I told him.  
"Good, I'm not sure if I could have made it much longer with him." He walked over to Sarah and kissed her on the cheek. "See you?" he asked.  
She bit her lip and nodded. "Yeah. Be careful"  
He laughed in a way that seemed like he was nervous but trying to be reassuring. I wondered what was going on but no one explained. He left and I went to Sarah. "They're planning a date for the four of us," I whispered so Mike wouldn't know. "Cody is helping. He promised he'd be nice"  
"Really?" asked Sarah, excitedly.  
"Yep, Frodo will probably ask you though, so pretend I didn't tell you"  
"All right," she said softly. Suddenly Mike piped up from the front. "Less talking more working"  
"Yes, sir!" I said, snapping a fake salute and beginning to help. They were almost done, though, so there really wasn't much to do. Mike seemed to accept Sarah and Frodo a little better, but I could tell he was much more resistant to my relationship with Legolas. He asked me three or four times, "Do you realize he could die because of you and the Fellowship could fail?" I just sighed and ignored him.  
A little while later, Legolas and Sarah traded jobs. Mike continued bugging me about it. Finally, Legolas answered him, "I believe if I had never met Shelly, I might never have understood what I was fighting to save. Now, I have a cause: true love." Legolas took my hand and smiled. I looked into those beautiful, clear, blue eyes and said, "Besides, they say it is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all." "Who says this?" Legolas asked, very seriously.  
"I don't remember who said it originally, but now it's just a cliché that we use," I said. Legolas still looked a little confused. I started to explain, but then Sarah walked in looking a little flushed. "Are you ready to go get ready?" she asked.  
"For what?" I asked, feigning innocence.  
"For the date that Frodo and I are taking the two of you on." Legolas said, flashing a grin.  
"Where are we going?" I asked.  
"That's a surprise," he said, smugly.  
"Well, how will I know what to wear if it's a surprise"  
"Just wear regular clothes," he said, not giving a hint as to where we were going.  
I frowned, pretending to be upset. "Fine, party pooper. We'll just leave, then, since it's obvious you don't want us here anyway," I said, starting to walk out the door. Suddenly, I was lifted up and right into Legolas' arms. "Why'd you do that"  
"I wanted to let you know that I'd miss you." He lowered his head and our lips gently met.  
"Would you two get a room?" I heard Cody say as he walked in the door. Legolas set me down and I walked out the door, but before it closed I heard him tell Cody, "We already have a room." "WHAT??!!!" I heard Cody yell. I quickly ran to my car where Sarah and Frodo were patiently waiting and headed back to the house. As we drove I told her about what Legolas had said and she was rolling. Sometimes Cody acts like he's my brother and gets so protective in regard to guys.  
Sarah and I took showers and changed. I put on a dark red dress shirt with short sleeves and Sarah put on a light blue one. Then, she braided my hair as complicated as she could. I can never do anything with my hair, so anytime I can get someone else to do it, I do. We were ready at about six. All the guys except for Legolas and Cody came in, so we set out some sandwich stuff and Sarah sat down by Frodo.  
"That's a beautiful shirt, love," he said. "But not nearly as lovely as you." I was sitting across the table and couldn't resist saying, "AWW!" Sarah shot me a dirty look but smiled at Frodo and kissed him on the cheek.  
A few minutes later, Legolas and Cody came in. Cody looked extremely angry. "After I eat, I need to talk to you," he said in a tone that told me something was very wrong, so I took Legolas aside.  
"What did you talk about? Why is Cody so angry?" "I do not know. He asked me about the comment I made about we already had a room and I explained that we'd been sleeping together since Monday. After that, he got really quiet and once he even looked as if he was going to hit me."  
"You told him that we were sleeping together," I said with a laugh. "Honey, he just misunderstood you. Here if you say you're sleeping with someone it means that you're..." I stopped short, too embarrassed to finish. Just then, Mike stepped up behind us. "I'll explain it to him, Shelly. Cody would like a word with you on the front porch," he said. I slowly walked out to the front porch. I knew the second I was out that door I would hear it from Cody. I went through the door and was surprised to find Cody sitting in the swing. "Shelly, what is wrong with you?" he asked quietly. "You know what your parents would say if they knew! Do you know what they'd do to you? I just cannot believe you're being this dumb. You know he's going to leave and you slept with him"  
"Cody, calm down. You don't understand..." I started, but Cody interrupted me. "I understand completely that you've become a SLUT!" he yelled.  
My jaw dropped in shock. He knew better than to say that to me. "Cody! When he said we'd been sleeping together he only meant in the same bed! We haven't done anything, so BREATHE. Besides, I would think you would trust me a little more than that," I said, angry at what he thought of me.  
"What? You mean you've just been literally sleeping together, not..." he trailed off. I rolled my eyes. "Exactly. Now if you will excuse me, my boyfriend and I have a date"  
Cody just stood there, dumbfounded. When I came back in, Legolas looked rather shocked. "Mike has explained what I said wrong, if you will excuse me I will go explain to Cody." With that he went outside. A few minutes later, Cody came back in laughing with Legolas close behind him.  
"So, are you two finally ready to go?" Sarah asked, standing next to Frodo.

A/N:okay, i'm going on a date w/Legolas greenleaf,

OH MY GOSH, I'M GOING ON A DATE WITH THE PRINCE LEGOLAS. fangirlish scream

Okay, fangirl moment over. Now review and I'll send Merry and Pip to your house with mushrooms.


	38. Ain't It Funny?

DISCLAIMER: We do not own Lord of the Rings. If we did, the Tower of Cirith Ungol scene would have been much closer to bookverse. MUCH, much closer. --laughs evilly-- Take that as you will. 

Authoress's Notes:  
SARAH:We don't own the song, it's J.Lo's. But I muchly likes it, I think you'll see how eerily it fits when you get to it. And we don't own ANY of the other copyrighted stuffs in here, excepting our original charas, of course. Anyways...--long, dramatic sigh-- I really, really, really wanna do review responses! But I'm not supposed to until next chappie. In the meantime, I'll just say that all these reviews we've been getting where everyone is commenting that they want the two couples to stay together just make my day. (I'd like to think that that's evidence that we're more than just your average Mary Sue? Maybe?...) Really. But, guys, truth is...Shelly and I know how it's gonna end already, okay? No suggestions! And for the record...we're past the halfway point already. Have been for a while, actually. --runs off and hides-- But seriously, guys, I think you'll all be pretty happy with it. Really. --hides again--

Chapter Thirty-Eight--Ain't It Funny?  
Sarah POV

Mike, Frodo and I headed for the main building and quickly got started cleaning the chapel. Mike was up in the sound booth, doing who knows what. Frodo and I were dusting near the front. I heard the low buzz as the speakers come on.  
"Mike?" I asked.  
"Mike check. Here!" came through the speakers. I laughed, but then had to explain it to Frodo. After that he laughed as well.  
"I'm gonna put in some tunes!" Mike said. He put in a CD of happy music and let it play while we cleaned and vacuumed. After we finished, he went up to shut off the music. He picked up the microphone and started playing around. "Anything you say will be misquoted and used against you!"  
I laughed, and Frodo gave a half-smile. Next Mike started to go through his repertoire of impressions, starting with Pirates of the Carribbean. "Ello, poppets. So that's the reason for all the..." I laughed again, watching him reel around like Orlando. For once, Frodo got the modern jokes since we'd watched that movie. Mike went crazy after that. Once he's got an audience there's no shutting him up. "Me? I'm dishonest. And a dishonest man you can always trust to be dishonest. Honestly. It's the honest ones you want to watch out for, because you can never predict when they're going to do something incredibly...stupid."  
"You know other movies," I suggested. "Try LXG."  
He paused for a moment before imitating Quartermain. "This is Africa. Sweating is what we do." Then Skinner. "I feel a bit of a draft in my nether regions...and actually, it's quite refreshing."  
I frowned at him for that one. "Come on, Mike. Keep it clean. Frodo already doesn't get it."  
"So I can't say, 'If that was permanent I would have been very upset'?"  
I rolled my eyes. "Mike!"  
"No, 'Does it give you memories or ideas'?"  
I glared at him, then looked over at Frodo, who couldn't make heads or tails of the conversation. I smiled sweetly at Frodo, and said, completely for Mike's benefit, "Ideas."  
"Sarah!"  
"You started it."  
He frowned, and pouted for a second. "Fine."  
Now, I'm absolutely sure that he went on simply without thinking. Even he would have known better had he stopped and thought about it for two seconds, but, you know, it was MIKE we were talking about. Sometimes he doesn't bother. Still, I was ready to kill him.  
In a whispery voice, enhanced by the reverb of the mike, Mike did one last impression. "...Ssshhhire...Bagginsss..." He did sound creepily like a Ringwraith, and normally it made me laugh. This time I didn't have a chance.  
Frodo whipped around, looking out all the windows, presumably searching for the Nazgûl. "Is there noplace safe?" he cried. Out of reflex he pulled out the chain on his neck, forgetting we'd taken the Ring away from him.  
I ran for Frodo. "Mike! Shut up!" I yelled angrily. As Frodo sank to his knees, trying to figure out where to hide, I was there, kneeling in front of him, grabbing him by the shoulders. "Frodo! Frodo!" I cried frantically. His eyes were frighteningly distant. What was he remembering? Being stabbed at Weathertop? Chased to the Ford of Bruinen? I shook him, trying to get him to return to the land of the living. "Frodo!"  
Mike had dropped his mike and raced forward to me and Frodo. He watched, wild-eyed, for once left without a thing to say.  
Tears welled up in my eyes. "Frodo?" His face was twisted in fright, and I couldn't call him back. "Mike! Help me!"  
Without a word, and probably more out of instinct than thought, he reached for the back of my head and shoved me forward, effectively pushing me and Frodo together. I understood instantly and kissed Frodo, hoping that all the cheesy movies I'd even seen were right about some things. When I felt him kissing back I pulled away. "Are you all right?" I asked, worry riddling my voice.  
Frodo gasped for breath, wild-eyed but in this world. "What happened? What was that? Did you hear it, too?"  
"Nothing," I said. "It was just Mike. You're safe. You're safe." I threw myself against him, wrapping my arms around him, burying my face in his shoulder. Now that I was sure he was all right, I could break down. I let my tears spill as I felt his arms wrap around me.  
He ran his hand up and down my back. "That was Mike?" he asked, fear still lingering in his voice.  
"Yeah, it was me," Mike said. "I'm sorry, I didn't think--"  
I jerked my head up. "That's right, you didn't!" I lashed out. "That was probably the stupidest thing I've ever seen you do!"  
"Sarah," Frodo said, trying to calm me. "It's all right. No harm done."  
"No harm done? I could have lost you!"  
Frodo frowned. There was no argument for that.  
Mike looked over at me. "Look, Sarah, I'm sorry. You're right. I didn't think. I'll be more careful from now on."  
I frowned. "You'd better be." I shook my head. Frodo stood and pulled me up, and I looked over at him. "I almost lost you," I repeated.  
He pulled me into his arms and cradled me, shushing me. "I'm fine, shh, I'm fine."  
Mike had enough good sense to leave us alone at that point, going back to the sound booth.  
"Are you really all right?" I asked, pulling back to look at him, but not out of his embrace. "I mean, for a second, you weren't HERE anymore."  
He bit his lip and shook his head. "I had a flashback. But it's over now. I'm fine. Don't worry."  
For me, "don't worry" always translates to "I'd rather you didn't worry, but you probably have a good reason to worry." I frowned, vowing mentally to keep a close eye on him for a while. I nodded. "All right." I paused for a moment, studying his eyes, which he kept steadily on me. "I love you."  
He smiled softly and leaned in to kiss me. His mouth closed over mine and I relaxed into his arms.  
"Now, Sarah, are you all right?"  
I nodded. "I just...I didn't know what to do...you...if you hadn't snapped out of it...I mean, would you have faded into another Ringwraith, or died or what?"  
"I don't know. I don't let myself think about it," he admitted.  
"I was so scared." I hugged him close, burying my face in his neck. "It's one thing to know I have to let you go back to Middle-Earth to live your life. It's another to think you might die." I sighed. "But I don't know how I'm going to do that, either."  
He pushed me away from him, gently, to look in my eyes. "Now," he said, smiling at me.  
I smiled back. "We have now."  
"I think maybe we should finish up," he said. "There's not much left to do."  
I nodded, finally feeling stable again. "Yeah."  
We were almost finished when Shelly showed up and told Frodo he was wanted down by the pool. Frodo almost asked my permission before he left, and honestly, it bugged me to see him go, even though the most dangerous thing around was Mike.  
At least Shelly had good news--she told me that our two sweet guys were planning a date for the four of us. I agreed to keep quiet, and not too much later Legolas was up there and saying I was wanted by the pool. I shrugged and headed off. I passed Cody on my way, he was going where I had just been. Frodo was waiting at the gate of the pool.  
"What needs done?" I asked.  
"Nothing," he said. "We're finished. I just needed a moment alone with you."  
"Aww." I kissed his cheek. "Whatcha need?"  
"Well, I'm not sure exactly how this is normally done, so forgive me if I don't do this right--Sarah, would you like to go on a date with me tonight?" He paused only ever-so-slightly before adding, "Please?"  
I smiled widely. "Sure! When?"  
"I guess as soon as we can be ready--and is it okay if Shelly and Legolas are there, too? It will have to be--what did Cody call it? A twin date? No--"  
"Double date?" I asked, smiling.  
"That's it! Is that okay?"  
"Sure, it'll still be fun. Where are we going?"  
"That's a surprise." He leaned in and kissed me lightly. "But you need to go get ready."  
"Right." We walked up to Shelly's car and sat in the backseat until she came out of the building and drove us to the house.  
Shelly and I were dressed and ready quickly, but Cody insisted on talking to Shelly. Frodo and I waited patiently--it wasn't like we were ever bored when we were together, anyway--until they got whatever it was settled.  
"So are you two finally ready to go?" I asked.  
"No, you're not," Cody said. "The guys and I discussed it, and we decided that since your van is the ultimate geekmobile, and Shelly's car is as old as she is, that you had no vehicle suitable for a date. So..." he turned to Shelly and pulled something from his pocket. "Just remember, you break it, you bought it." He dropped something into her hand and she looked at it for a moment before realizing what it was.  
"You're letting me drive the convertible?" she squealed.  
"Just...this...ONCE," Cody said.  
"Wait, what's going on?" Mike asked from the dining room table.  
"Frodo and I are taking the ladies on a date," Legolas informed him.  
The look on Mike's face was just beautiful. "I give up!" he bellowed, then let out an exaggerated sigh of frustration.  
Shelly and I laughed. "Let's go," she said, and led the way for the four of us. We piled in the gorgeous green convertible--top down, of course--me and Frodo in the back seat and Legolas next to Shelly, who was in the driver's seat. She started the car, and then turned to Legolas. "You HAVE to tell me where we're going now, or I won't know which way to go," she pointed out.  
Legolas smirked in the way only he can. "Just head for town," he said. "I'll let you know when we're close, it's on the main road and we've passed it several times, so I know where it is."  
Shelly mock-glared at him, but pulled out and we were soon on the highway.  
The ride was a blast, with the wind whipping everyone's hair every which way and making it feel like we were going much faster than we really were. We blared the radio for most of the way. While we were going along, I recognized the beginning notes of a song I liked. "Listen to this!" I said to Frodo. "Now that I think about it, it reminds me of us!" The song was "Ain't It Funny" by Jennifer Lopez.

It seemed to be like the perfect thing for you and me  
It's so ironic, you're what I had pictured you to be  
But there are facts in our lives we can never change  
Just tell me that you understand and feel the same

This perfect romance that I created in my mind  
I'd live a thousand lives, each one with you right by my side  
But yet we find ourselves in a less than perfect circumstance  
And so it seems like we'll never have a chance

Ain't it funny how some feelings you just can't deny  
And you can't move on even though you've tried  
Ain't it strange when you're feeling things you shouldn't feel  
Oh, I wish this could be real

Ain't it funny how a moment could just change your life  
And you don't want to face what's wrong or right?  
Ain't it strange how fate can play a part  
In the story of your heart?

Sometimes I think that a true love can never be  
I just believe that somehow it wasn't meant for me  
Life can be cruel in a way that I can't explain  
And I don't think I could face it all again

I barely know you but somehow I know what you're about  
A deeper love I found in you, and I no longer doubt  
You touched my heart, and it altered every plan I made  
And now I feel that I don't have to be afraid

Ain't it funny how some feelings you just can't deny  
And you can't move on even though you've tried  
Ain't it strange when you're feeling things you shouldn't feel  
Oh, I wish this could be real

Ain't it funny how a moment could just change your life  
And you don't want to face what's wrong or right?  
Ain't it strange how fate can play a part  
In the story of your heart?

I locked away my heart  
But you just set it free  
Emotions that I felt held me back  
From what my life should be  
I pushed you far away  
And yet you stayed with me  
I guess this means that you and I were meant to be

Ain't it funny how some feelings you just can't deny  
And you can't move on even though you've tried  
Ain't it strange when you're feeling things you shouldn't feel  
Oh, I wish this could be real

Ain't it funny how a moment could just change your life  
And you don't want to face what's wrong or right?  
Ain't it strange how fate can play a part  
In the story of your heart?

I could see Shelly's raised eyebrow in the rear view mirror. "That fits so well, it's scary."  
Frodo nodded. "It's like it was written just for you, love," he said. "That sounds just like you. The style of the words, not the voice, I mean."  
"I figured."  
We were approaching town, and suddenly Legolas said, "Turn in here!"  
Of course, what else but the most traditional of dates? We were in the movie theater parking lot.

A/N: If you should so desire to hunt down the song for any reason, be sure to get the original, NOT the "remix." The "remix" has completely different words and lyrics and I fail to see how it has any connection to the original. But whatever. Review and get a response in my next chappie. (MY, that was uncreative...)


	39. A Modern Evening

DISCLAIMER: We don't own LOTR, if we did I would be busy with my christmas presents, which would have been Dom and Orlando, awaking me with a nice hot breakfast and then...you fill in the blank

Authoress's Notes:

SHELLY: HI EVERYONE!!! Sarah's visiting and finally gave me my CHRISTMAS PRESENT, but not before making me go through a scavenger hunt this morning. Last night, when she got here, we hung out and watched movies and I finally went to bed about three. Then at seven this morning, she and Danielle, thebuggers, were waking me up and handing me a letter. I took it and rolled over to go back to sleep, but Danielle kept hitting me and kept hitting me until I openned it. So finally I did, and I had to go ALL THE WAY ACROSS CAMPUS IN THE FREEZING COLD!!!!!!!! Then, I had to go to the post office and then, another building and finally to the cafeteria, where my present was taped up to the milk machine. So I, by this time, was very cold and tired. So I grabbed the present and opened. Then I pounced upon Sarah. If you want to know what the present is, you'll have to stay tuned. Oh and GUESS!! please. Anyway, review and I will go and enjoy more of my christmas present now.

SARAH: Hehehe, I'm visiting Shelly! Remember, review responsesnext chapter! (And would you believe she bugged me ALL DAY today and all the time I was here yesterday asking me when I was going to update? I have to admit I laughed very loudly when I remembered that it was her turn. --nort-- And the scavenger hunt was very fun. I like being evil.)

Chapter Thirty-Nine--A Modern Evening  
Shelly POV

I could not believe that Cody had been so nice, and it was really fun driving his convertible. For once he was the nice older brother instead of the mean one.

As we pulled into the theater, I couldn't help but get a little excited. Technically, this was my first date with Legolas, and I hoped everything would go perfectly. As I pulled into a parking spot near the front, Legolas and Frodo jumped out of the car and ran around to open our doors for us.

"Thank you," I said, giving Legolas a peck on the cheek in thanks.

"I should do nice things for you more often," Legolas said, taking my arm.

"So what are we going to see?" Sarah asked.

"That will be up to you ladies. Legolas and I did not have any idea as to what you would wish to watch," Frodo said.

Sarah and I immediately grinned and ran to the box office to see what was playing. Lucky for us, "Ella Enchanted" was still in theaters, but so was "13 Going on 30" and Sarah and I had not seen either of them, and there was also an action/adventure flick going.

"Chick flick, Sarah," I whispered to her.

She grinned and said, "What about Ella?"

"That sounds good," I answered. "I suppose we have to pay," I said, suddenly realizing that the guys weren't going to have money, or at least not any that would be legal tender in our world. I walked over to the ticket booth, taking Legolas' hand.

"Four adult tickets for Ella Enchanted, please," I said. The girl behind the window rattled off a price and before I could open my purse, Legolas had paid.

"And just where did you get money?" I asked him.

"That is a secret," Frodo and he replied at the same time.

"Cody gave it to you, didn't he?" I asked.

"He said it was payment for all the work we'd been doing," Legolas said, explaining. _Cody hasn't even gotten a paycheck since my folks have been gone. Where did he get the money?_ I made a mental note to pay him back later.

"Would you like some popcorn or anything?" Legolas asked.

"No, but if you want some, you can have some."

Legolas grinned brightly and bought an extra-large popcorn, a large Dr. Pepper, and a small Mountain Dew. I took my drink from him and we made our way into the theater with Sarah and Frodo right behind us. A few minutes later, the previews started, and wouldn't you know that one of them would be for a special showing of the Return of the King Extended Version. I quickly signaled to Sarah, and we pulled the guys into extremely long, passionate kisses so they would never hear the preview. Once the preview was over, Legolas leaned over and said, "What was that for?"

"Because I love you, silly," I said, in a childish voice.

"Well, I love you, too," he said, kissing me on the cheek.

"SSSHHH!" said someone behind us.

Once the movie started, I was immediately into it. It's kind of making fun of fairy tales like Shrek, but it has a few tremendously funny parts in it. The heartthrob in the movie is a very cute British guy named Hugh Dancy. I have to admit, even though I was sitting beside Legolas, I thought Hugh Dancy's character was good-looking. I think Legolas noticed the glazed-over look in my eye a few times because he would lean over and kiss me lightly on the cheek or offer some popcorn. At the end, the movie has a huge song and dance number. Once the song came on, Legolas looked over at me. The song was "Don't Go Breaking My Heart."

"Did you know that our song would be in this movie?" he asked quietly, so as not to disturb the person behind us.

"You betcha," I said, grinning. He leaned over and began to kiss me, but all too soon the lights came up and the four of us were headed out to the rest of our date.

"Where to now?" I asked, walking out the door.

"Now, we become the handsome princes," Legolas said, lifting me into his arms, the same time Frodo lifted Sarah into his. Sarah looked like her eyes were about to pop out of her head.

"You sure know how to sweep a girl off her feet, don't you, love?" Sarah said, recovering her voice.

"I believe that's what I just did." Frodo said, grinning ear to ear. I simply cuddled closer into Legolas' arms remembering that soon, he wouldn't be there to sweep me off of my feet anymore.

Once we reached the car and the boys had set us down, I asked, "Where to next, boys?"

"Next we are supposed to go out to eat," Frodo said.

"Aren't the two of you full after all that popcorn?" I asked, amazed.

"Well, I am a hobbit," said Frodo defensively.

"Well, what excuse does that leave for the elf over here?" I asked.

"I have a high metabolism," he said with a grin.

I couldn't help it--I cracked up completely, and Sarah did too. Once I calmed down I asked Legolas, "Where did you hear that?"

In all seriousness he answered, "On the health channel."

I grinned at him. Maybe we shouldn't have taught them how to work the remote. "So where are we eating?"

"Cody said you would enjoy a place called Taco Bell," Legolas said.

"Oh, he did, did he?" The truth is I hate Taco Bell and Cody knows this. I began to think of ways to slowly torture Cody.

"No, he said I couldn't take you there, we're actually going to Pizza Hut," said Legolas, fighting laughter.

"What is so funny then, dearest?" I said, a little angry.

"You looked like you were plotting ways to kill Cody." Legolas said, unable to contain himself any longer, and reading me shockingly well. "But it was so cute," he continued. "Do you know how pretty you are when you're mad?"

I chose to ignore his comment until we got inside the restaurant. We decided to sit at two separate tables, Frodo and Sarah at one and Legolas and me at the other.

"Do you really think I'm pretty?" I asked him after we had ordered.

"No," he said, suddenly.

"Well, I know you want to be with me."

"No, I don't," Legolas said, his tone unusually emotionless.

_Is he about to break up with me?_ "Well, then, if I leave will you cry?" I asked.

Once again he answered, "No."

At that I DID begin to cry and got up to leave. Before I passed him, he pulled me back and sat me in his lap.

"I don't think you're pretty, I think you're beautiful. I don't want to be with you, I NEED to be with you. If you left, I wouldn't cry, I'd die," he said, reaching up to push a stray hair out of my face. "By the way, I like your hair better down. It looks gorgeous now too, but I love when you have it down."

"I love your hair down too, but I do prefer the braids," I said, leaning down to kiss him. Suddenly, we heard someone clearing their throat behind us. It was the waitress with the pizza. I quickly moved back to my chair.

"Here ya go," she said, setting down our pizza.

After we had eaten a few minutes, I looked up to see cheese hanging down Legolas' chin. "Honey," I said. He looked up. I brushed my chin, but apparently, he didn't get the message, so I leaned over and took my napkin and wiped his chin and gave him a small peck on the lips while I was over there.

A few more minutes passed. "Hey, you never did tell me about your family, honey," I said.

"Well, what do you want to know?"

"How many brothers and sisters do you have?"

"I have two younger brothers and no sisters, but one of my brothers is married."

"Do you like your sister-in-law?"

"I only met her once..." He paused, as if there was something he wasn't sure how to say. "She was a mortal, so he gave up his immortality for her. He died a year ago." His eyes turned distant for a moment, and then became intense. "I believe I now understand why my brother gave up his immortality for her and why Arwen will give up hers for Aragorn."

"Why is that?" I said, believing I already knew the answer, but wanting to hear it again anyway.

"They realized that no matter how many lifetimes they lived, they would always love that person, even if that person was a mortal. It doesn't matter. My brother had several children, which doesn't normally happen with Elven people. For some reason Men and hobbits always have more children. I do not know why that is." Legolas answered.

I thought about it and answered, "I think it's because they want part of them to live on and while Elves have eternity, Men and Hobbits don't. They know the only way their family will survive is if they have children." I smiled. "Plus, some just rather like having children. I know if I ever get married, I want at least four children, maybe more."

Legolas arched an eyebrow. "Why four?"

"Well, you know, it's just me and my sister at home, and at times that's really lonely. I think with three there is the middle child syndrome and I wouldn't want to have a child think that I'm paying less attention to them than I am to my other children. So four, there is no middle child and they can all look after each other," I said. "I know that doesn't make a whole lot of sense, but I really love children, so four or more would be an ideal number."

Legolas nodded his head. "Yes, four is a lovely number," he said, and then he shared with me how hard it was to be the crown prince because his father wanted to cross the sea soon. That meant that Legolas would be in charge, and according to Elven standards he was very young. "And they will want me to marry, which after meeting you I could never do. I could never love anyone as I love you. I believe I will pass the crown to my brother and cross the sea."

I frowned. "Nope, you can't. You promised. You have to take care of Aragorn and Frodo."

"I meant after the quest."

"So do I, my love. If they all survive, you still must take care of them," I told him.

"I will, mellamin. I will."

After dinner, Sarah asked me to drive by Wal-Mart so she could pick something up, but she refued to tell anyone what it was, though I knew it had to be something modern because Frodo didn't recognize it. I shrugged it off, I was sure she'd tell us when she wanted us to know.

Too soon we were headed back to the house. I walked in to see Cody and Pippin on the table doing the dance to the Green Dragon song, Merry, Mike, Aragorn, and Boromir on the Nintendo, and Gimli lying on the couch out cold.

"Hey, Shelly," Cody said breathlessly, climbing down from the table. "We have a surprise for you, c'mon. You too, Sarah and Frodo."

"Where's Sam?" Frodo asked.

"Asleep in Kim's room," Cody said. "Now come on." He led me out to the backyard where two tents were set up.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"Well, Aragorn and I tire of sleeping indoors and wish to sleep out here," Boromir said.

"And Mike and I are spending the night until the guys leave," Cody said, happily. "I told Mom that there was a work group out here and they needed some extra help for a few days."

"Great," I said, trying to be excited. In truth, I knew Cody was staying to keep an eye on Sarah and Frodo and Legolas and me.

"Which means Legolas and you can now have the water bed if you want, since, as you can see, Gimli will be sleeping in the living room," Mike said, from the door.

"Legolas and I call my room," I decided quickly.

"Fine," said Sarah, "Just fine."

By the time everyone was settled for the night, except Cody, Mike, Boromir, and Aragorn, it was pretty late. The four of them were going to play a few more rounds of Nintendo and then go to bed. As Legolas and I walked to my room, we stopped at the door and Legolas leaned down and left a long, lingering kiss on my lips. Once we walked inside, he got into bed and didn't touch me.

"Legolas, what's wrong?" I put my hand on his shoulder but he jerked away.

"Don't! Cody said if I so much as touch you while alone in your bedroom he will make me a..." Legolas trailed off.

"Go ahead, finish," I said, getting slightly angry.

"Eunuch." Legolas said, slightly scared.

"He won't touch you. He just meant that we had better not...you know..." I said, cuddling up next to him.

He laughed, and then wrapped his arms around me. In just a few minutes, I was off in a perfect dream where Legolas could hold me forever.

A/N: Mmmm....Sleeping in my Legolas' arms...falls asleep at keyboard Luckily, Sarah will click the post button. Review and maybe Shelly will wake up. Then again, who would want to awake from that dream?


	40. Don't Want to Miss a Thing

DISCLAIMER: We do not own Lord of the Rings. If we did, the Hobbit would currently be filming.

Authoress's Notes:

SHELLY: Okay, I got...(drumroll please) The Calcium Kid. Isn't Sarah great?

SARAH: Yes, I am! Lol...

I let Shelly go first, her notes were MUCH shorter. Sorry about the delay in update. Real life is getting in the way again, and not in the fun way. Homework. The ickiest part of college. :-) Anyway, enjoy. Oh, and, guess what it's time for again...REVIEW RESPONSES! YAAAAAAY!

Laer4572--Shelly sent me a copy of your email. Thanks! You are so sweet! Lol, "feed and water" them. And yes, you need to stock up on Mountain Dew by the truckload. Hehehe, I can just imagine telling Diamond and Estella, "Don't do it, don't do it, don't do it!" Lol. Dweebs indeed. Mmm...the landscape is kind of Shire-ish here, only with about fifty million more trees. And I have to say that the whole "trapped" thing is my real thoughts on this place, I really do want out. But that's a REALLY long story in and of itself, last thing I need to do is start a novel in my review responses. ;-) "Work sucks, I know..." --GreenDay, "All the Small Things"...sorry, couldn't resist. But since I've FINALLY gotten a job I can relate. :-) Yesh, bad, BAD Mike. I agree. Stupid Mike. You want to go to ME? Or you think at least we should go? Hmm...I find myself repeating that WE HAVE WRITTEN THE ENDING ALREADY!!! :-) Just hold your horses. They're not gone yet. Can Mike bring them back? Well, uhh...can I take the fifth on that one? (And I CAN tell you what the fifth is: refusing to answer on the grounds of incriminating myself!) Lol, the flowers. And CAKE? You're doing CAKE, too?? Um...personally I like brownies, and Frodo conveniently likes my second-favorite, red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting. Shelly likes...um...Jell-O cake, if I recall correctly (I know she likes it but I'm not sure that it's her favorite), and Legolas? Who knows with those finicky elves? Probably petit fours or something like that. (Lol...lembas cake. Don't know where THAT came from.) NO! No wedding planner! JLo didn't PLAN on stealing the groom, either, and we've already established that you wouldn't exactly MIND having them around! GAAAH! But then, Frodo is so hopelessly devoted to me you don't stand a chance. ;-) Boy, you REALLY wanna tag along, don't you? Yeah, it's hard to get Frodo presents because of that...he WILL actually be getting a present from me later, there's a spoiler for ya... Hehe, LOVED that description of a bad fic, that's EXACTLY what we were trying to avoid! Hehehe, I loved Legolas' messy hair, I agree. (My hair is about as long as his, and to make it even more of a pain, I straighten it, it's naturally curly, so if it gets wet at all it gets frizzy on me...) Packing? Nah, I usually don't pack more than a day early. I tried to pack a week early once and ended up pulling stuff out of my bag 'cause I needed it, and then had to rearrange it all anyway...FURBY? Wow, points to you for giving me a laugh via mid-90's nostalgia. Those things were SO annoying, lol... --laughs insanely at every bit of the "building an ME transporter from computer parts" review-- Bandaids indeed...actually, I think Mike needs stitches at this point! Okay, okay, you've said it at LEAST three times, I KNOW you want us to accidentally get sucked into ME. Double wedding? Absolutely not. Shelly and I discussed this, there will be no double wedding. Our tastes are too different for that. WE, as authors, know that sex equals marriage for elves, but the four modern characters are NOT aware of that. You have a pet Nazgul? Must cut down on the daily commute, huh? Lol, the nursing home? That's tempting...and don't think we couldn't do it. (Ironic fact: My father works at a nursing home.) Hehehe, didn't think of zapping Mike with the mike. That's funny! And I tried to make it clear, it was NOT intentional on his part. (As an author I can say that with authority, as a character I can only say it's an assumtion, does that make sense?) Don't yell at him too much, it made for more mush, lol. And yes, that was a turning point for Mike, he knows deep down that Frodo and I belong together, whether he admits it or not... Yeah. The date thing was one of those fantasies that got to be lived out in writing, lol. Only DAILY restocking of the fridge? I think you're getting off easy! The rest of them are HERE and we make five, six trips to the store in a day! But you might want to send them back, we can't update without them. (Remind them that the mushies grow outside my house and they can have a free-for-all!) Reddi-whip? --makes note of that-- Hehehe, they're licking it off their faces? You're making me think bad thoughts. --makes a chocolate-peanut-butter pie and goes to hunt down Frodo-- Shelly said to tell you that The Quiet Man is one of her all-time favorite movies! And now she's going to get to make me watch it, lol. NOW I'm curious about it. Now, discussing children doesn't mean anything, I can't count how many people I've told about how many kids I want. (That would be NONE. I have no business being a mother.) Do you mean those little pastel-colored mints? Don't bother, at least not for me. But I do like punch!

IwishChan--RotK EE is great, isn't it? (I presume you have it by now.) And your friend is VERY nice, I wish I had a friend who would randomly buy me $60 presents! Leaving? ARE they? --evil cackle-- Yes, Legolas' hair, lol. I don't want them to go either. Not really. But they DOOO kind of have to save the world, love... No one keeping secrets? Hello, -I- am keeping secrets! Lol... Pun? Huh? You lost me there. Yeah, Mike is one of those guys who can be really booksmart and then do the dumbest things. But hey, more mush with Frodo, can't complain too much. Lol, a better question might be "When are you NOT planning something evil for Cody?" --"What is NEVER, Alex? I'll take fanfiction for two hundred..."--

frodofreak88--Yesh, I am rather lucky, aren't I? :-) I'd let Pip burn my house down, too. Provided I could get my laptop and photos out first, lol. You need answers, eh? The ultimate answer: KEEP READING! Oh, so that's not a Mary-Sue. Thanks, that's good to know. WHOA, you want us to stay together EVEN IF IT MEANS SAURON WINS? It's official, this is my favorite review thus far! You rock! No, not to the last chapter yet...it's quickly approaching, though...

Jedi Knight Bus--No time? That's okay, at least we know you read it! I just saw Prisoner of Azkaban this weekend, is that where you got your name? (That DOES explain why I thought I'd heard that before when I've not read any of the HP books...) Lol, we're rather fond of Melee, too, we play it when we have parties. ;-) No swearing? No problem. We're your favorite story on FFN? --bows in gratitude-- THANKS! I love hearing that! Lol, you ARE a bit behind, if you just got to me and Frodo. And you thought that was the sweetest? Dude, you wanna move in with me and just talk to me when I'm trying to write? Lol. Legolas better than Frodo? Lol...I think I've said a few times that if Frodo wasn't around Legolas would be my favorite, too...though that WAS before LOST was around and I developed this huge crush on Dominic Monaghan... Yesh, PotC rocks. --we don't ALL wish, I'd rather have Frodo-- Yesh, yesh, sleeping beside your sweetheart...thank you, my idea. :-) And "MY HAIR!" Lol. I'm glad we used that.

Jousting Elf with a Sabre--ONLY the EE's? How did you survive the meantime after the TE's came out? GAH! Back to the States? Where are you? (You've officially confused me, go you!) Oh, wait, Russia. RUSSIA? Cool! My parents went there on a missions trip when I was, like, five! Are you a native or not? Because if English is your second language you speak it (well, type it, lol) very well. GAH! See PotC! I urge you! Hmm...FotR and FotR. Didn't ever notice it, and no, I've not seen Fiddler on the Roof. Shelly might've. It's on my to-do list, though, 'cause my friend Kade said it was really good. (The play, anyway.) Whereabouts in England were you? I have friends there. Really? Your sister's named Sarah? What's her middle name? (Personal thing, I know, like, four other Sarah's that have the same middle name as me.) I got the author alert for Gailor Toren, actually, need to read it. Lol, Legolas' hair made you laugh for more than ten minutes? Score one for Shelly! You get out of school at 16? That is SO not fair, over here we don't graduate until 18!

Carrie--RotK EE rules! 'Tis the one film to rule them all! ;-D And thanks for the kind words! Keep reading and reviewing! Lol, I could EASILY laugh at Leggy's hair. Trivial review? Perish the thought! No review is trivial! Yeah, Cody can be nice that way, looking out for me and Shelly's honor. As for Merry...are there any patches of mushrooms between here and your house? Lol, me and Shelly pull that dazed, daydreaming look a lot when we're writing. It's amazing that we haven't each gotten stuck at our first kiss chapters. Gift? Hmmm? What gift?

Rie--We have some people who would fight you for Merry. Heck, SHELLY would fight you for Merry. And don't even ask about Pippin, right, Shell? Dani's claimed him. Of course they can't go home yet, there's still, like, more chapters left! Lol. As for Bosworth...I can't say I particularly like her, but people who are all "OMG she should burn!" are a bit extreme. I mean, really, can you BLAME her for wanting to be with Orli? Duh! (You have to wonder if every time she sees him she giggles to herself and says, "Ha! I rock! Take that, fangirls!"...I would.) Oh yeah, Mondays can be a pain. Lol, -I- wouldn't mind a Hobbit waiting to open the door for me, either. Yet another vote for us going back to ME. Cool beans. But glad to know you'll like whatever we do. --SQUEEs so long and so loud she faints from lack of breath, but revives-- YES! Shelly and are ADDICTED to Lost! She calls me every week after it's over and we discuss it--the week when Charlie got hung she actually called me during the COMMERCIAL to see if I was okay. :-D Score one for the Dommy fans! Lol, I'm glad you have mixed feelings about the end, so do Shelly and I. And yeah, that's pretty much what I figured about the remix. Can't do much about it, and there are so many better topics to take up a personal rant about (like movie Faramir, for instance!), why waste my time on that one?

Shakespirit--I LOVE YOU WAFFLES! One name. Good girl. (You can still be Waffles, silly. Just know that I control everywhere you go. Though judging by the graffiti on the inside of my stomach, not everything you do.) (If you're not Waffles and you're reading this ANYWAY, don't ask.) NO! Don't kill Mike! He's crucial to our plot! Trust me, you'll like him later! We need him! If we make you cry I will take that as the very highest compliment. Crazy as you? Hon, that's not possible. Lol. "I have a lightbulb and I'm not afraid to use it!" Wait, how did you get Sting? I suggest you give it back to Frodo until the end of this story, he's going to need it. Christmas, Yuletide, it's all the same to me. Aware it didn't make much sense? Are you kidding? I understood it perfectly! (This bothers me on some levels...) Angst in 34? What was 34 again? (Sorry, I tend to think of scenes rather than chapter divisions.) ...OH! Right. When I piece together that they're going. GIVE STING BACK! I COMMAND YOU! Frodo needs it more than you do! Marshmallow? Fire of your wrath? Again, your reaction is better than my original! CAN'T let them go??? You think I WANT to? Silly Waflles. Oh, you said you'd let them out, because we can't really update the story without them. Lol, that was WHY it was named the Moron Dance, because he's the one that invented it. ;-D Don't hold your anger in! Let it out! Rant! Rave! Don't keep it bottled up! Hmmm...I think I mentioned that --I-- have an Elijah clone. But I could...pull some strings...maybe...if you're nice. (No more bad words on the inside of my stomach!!) Yes. Let Cody and Mike go. They're CRUCIAL, I tell you! And I will let you know if we need your...detainment services, okay? --reattaches H to name and boots Hobbity out of her seat-- You want Frodo? Write your own fanfic! --realizes Hobbity shall probably do so, then snogs Frodo passionately, then realizes she always wanted to use the word snog--

Inwe Tasartir--You're new! Hi! Thanks! Lol, Kate Bosworth indeed. If Legolas wasn't so right for Shelly I might almost pity the woman...yeah, not quite. ;-) (And you know what? I think that that qualifies as our first official flame! Glad to see the long nose!)

snakefeather--You're also new! Thanks! And you're the SECOND person to suggest that Mike screw up and land us all in Middle Earth. Hmm. Yeah, 35 is one of those chapters that my friend yellowrose calls "bridging chapters." (And like she says, that sounds SO much better than "filler!") Hehe, EVERYONE seems to like Leggy's messed-up hair. That's so funny, it was one of those random afterthoguhts that made it in, lol...

Anderinwen--I MEAN, that despite my fascination with British slang, I have no idea what a bickie is. Oh? It's a cookie? YAY! Bring on the cookies!!! I am happy! Long reviews rock! True. Heaven is Elijah's eyes. Period. Karl Urban? He's all right...he's like, seventh on my list. Phase? Are you kidding? I'm going to be nineteen in less than two months, a full-time college student, and random squeals and hyena giggling are an almost daily occurrence for me! And I hope it doesn't ever stop, I have so much fun. And a PDA is either a personal digital assistant (a handheld computer thingy) or a public display of affection. If I said it in the story I meant the latter.

Kat1280--You are the first person to suggest that we go back LATER. (I assume you mean when the Quest is finished?) Poor Frodo and Sarah indeed. (Is it just me, or are we getting more sympathy than Shelly and Legolas?) Hehe, Merry and Pip are quite the charmers, aren't they? I actually did look at my wall, and that is just kind of how it is, there IS one extra Pippin pic...but yes. I ADORE Hobbitses. And Frodo and Legolas going over the Sea? I really need to type up my rant so I can use it...but in a nutshell, I hated Frodo going over the Sea even within Tolkien. I wouldn't have minded seeing that cut from the movie. --wonders if that's a spoiler, decides it's not-- Hmm...are the other Hobbits younger? Never established that, and without conferring with Shelly the best answer I can give you yes, but not by sixteen years, like Frodo. They're all of age except Pip, who was just younger than of-age in the books. Oh! Yes! Hold out for a happy ending. (If you people would read the stuff on my RenaissanceGrrl account you would have a much easier time of this...) Ooh, don't even want to think about how that would have gone had I NOT been there with Frodo. But let me clarify; Mike did NOT do that intentionally. He did that imitation one day and creeped me out (I could see him so it didn't scare me or anything, though), and I was like, --I should use that.-- And the scene poured forth from that. Guess what? You get to see what I got at Wal-Mart in THIS VERY CHAPTER!

EresseElrondiell16--I kind of like this, the idea that they're going back has gotten all kinds of new reviewers! Lol. Keep in touch? Don't worry, it ain't over 'til the fat lady sings... Yeah. The world would probably end, assuming that it IS the same world. (You know what? Me and Shelly have never actually decided that for ourselves, lol! And Mike should probably know that, seeing as he'd figured out how to bridge the gap...) Um...the twins of Rivendell? The odds of me and Shelly getting to Rivendell are practically nil. But they may get a mention somewhere...

Red Bess Rackham--Oh. My. Gosh. We've been REFERRED. --SQUEEE!-- Thanks! --dances happy dance--

CrazyforWill1405--Wow, Shelly may hunt you down for that, she's no small fan of dear Mr. Turner. Thanks for reading!

Lewdeveen--Just exactly what do you plan on DOING with those mushies? 'Cause it sounds like you're not going to EAT them! Lol. Thanks for reviewing! --munches cookies--

Nazgûlli--Did I get your name right? Notepad screwed up the fancy letter and I ASSUME it's that kind of U, but I could be way off. Sorry if that's not right! Thanks for laughing, we try our best!

TO ALL OUR READERS: You've been so nice and patient, and made guesses and suggestions and all, and begged for spoilers once or twice...so I've decided that you deserve ONE bit of inside information: There are FIFTY chapters. No more, no less. No epilogue. Fifty chapters. I'll do review responses again in 48, and then I don't know yet what I'll do about the last two. Suggestions on that are welcome. --wonders if anyone will actually notice this notice--

Chapter Forty--Don't Want to Miss a Thing  
Sarah POV

I couldn't believe I was actually getting to go on a date. I had only been on one before, and that had been okay, but I hadn't been in love with the guy so this promised to be much better.

The guys were so sweet, opening doors for us and letting me and Shelly choose the movie. Legolas had actually gotten some money from Cody, and for the second time in one evening I felt a wave of extreme gratitude towards him--that was really above and beyond the call of duty for him, since I gladly would have paid for anything myself just to have the time with Frodo.

We had a close call with a Return of the King trailer, but Shelly and I quickly (and quite pleasantly) diverted any kind of disaster.

"Ella Enchanted" was pretty cool. I had read the book, but the movie is not quite the same. Despite the fact that Frodo was sitting right next to me, I did try to actually watch the movie and resist the temptation to do what teenagers in love usually do in a movie theater. (Not that Frodo was technically a teenager, but during the last few days he may as well have been.) It wasn't that hard, the movie was pretty funny and kept our attention, and we were holding hands most of the time. The thing that surprised me most, though, was how much Hugh Dancy looked like Orlando Bloom! I poked Shelly in the arm and told her so, and we laughed about that.

After the movie, Shelly asked, "Where to now?"

I figured dinner--Cody wasn't that creative, after all, and traditional was fine with me and Shelly in this case--but the guys managed to surprise us. The next thing I knew I was up in Frodo's arms. I was caught off guard and everyone in the parking lot was staring at us (except one older woman who told her husband how cute we were being), but oh well. I think being young and in love lets you get away with being a little bit crazy. "You sure know how to sweep a girl off her feet, don't you, love?" I asked.

"I believe that's what I just did," he pointed out.

I snickered and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Just now, and many times since we've met," I told him, smiling. By then we had gotten to the car, so he set me down and pulled me into a kiss.

The drive from the theater to Pizza Hut was really short--it's only about three blocks away, but it's across a highway, otherwise we might have just walked.

At the restaurant, Shelly had the brilliant idea to sit at separate tables. Frodo and I took a booth in one of the corners and sat on the same side, facing away from Shelly and Legolas' table.

Frodo stretched and "accidentally" settled his arm across my shoulders, making me giggle. "Are you having a good time, love?" he asked me.

I smiled. "I'm with you, how could I not be?"

He kissed me softly. "The feeling is mutual."

Of course, we were nose-to-nose when the waitress came to take our order, and we hadn't looked at the menu, but I just ordered a simple pizza so we wouldn't have to make her wait. After our food arrived, we considered ourselves free to talk.

"So this is a typical date," Frodo said.

I nodded. "Yeah. You go do something fun together and have food. It's not always a movie but that's probably the most common thing."

"I could get used to that," he said.

"Especially the food part?"

He rolled his eyes at me, which made me notice them all over again. He laughed, too. "So what else is common here? This is nothing like courting a Shire-lass--at least from what I hear from Sam and Merry and Pippin, I've never actually tried it."

I smiled. "Do you mean dating or life in general?"

"I mean...lads and lasses. How long do you court? When do you get married? All of it. What's typical?"

I laughed. "Well...guys and girls usually start having boyfriends and girlfriends when they're twelve or thirteen, and start going out on dates when they're fifteen or so. Typically they go through about five or six serious relationships between the end of high school and when they meet the person they want to marry when they're somewhere in their twenties, maybe thirties. People will marry at almost any age but that's the most common."

"People marry at twenty?" Frodo asked incredulously.

I nodded. "I think the average age is, like, twenty-three, but yeah. Twenty is the low end of normal."

He tilted his head. "When do you humans come of age?"

For quite a while I had quite simply forgotten that there was a racial difference between us, if I had ever been completely aware of it at all. "Eighteen," I said. "For us eighteen is like your thirty-three. I guess it's because we don't live as long, the average life expectancy is eighty-something, it's very rare to reach one hundred."

He nodded. "Sarah," he asked quietly, "How old are you?"

"Eighteen."

A funny sort of smile crossed his face, an expression I couldn't quite read. "Do you realize I'm almost twice as old as you are?"

I did the math in my head as quickly as I could (which wasn't all that fast), and then said, "Yeah, I guess, technically...why? Is that a problem?"

"Well, I guess not if it's not a problem with you..."

"Think of it this way, love. Numbers-wise we're way off, but I came of age four months ago, and you came of age...what, a year and five months ago?" I had to figure it out in Middle-Earth time, remembering that as far as he was concerned it was mid-January.

"That's right," he said, smiling crookedly.

"So maturity-wise we're compatible," I said. "Thirteen months is not a large gap." I had to bite my tongue to keep from saying that the quest would take that long, at least according to the movie.

He nodded, satisfied with that. "Obviously we fit together," he said, kissing my cheek.

I snuggled against his side, basking in the moment.

Suddenly he sighed. "You know what?"

"What?" I asked softly.

"Do you really want to know? It's not a...'now' thought."

"I suppose one wouldn't hurt, or at least it'd be better to get it out."

"Well...after we go, you won't have anything but a memory. I guess you'll have the clothes and stuff, but you won't have anything that will prove it was US who were here, or that any actual people were with you at all, and even though you'd never tell..."

I nodded. I didn't want to burst his bubble and explain DNA traces to him, especially since it would never come to that anyway. "Yeah, I guess we will have the clothes, though. I guess we'll give them away to some people who need them." I mused over that for a moment. "I will always treasure these two weeks as the most precious two weeks of my life."

"As will I. And I will always regret not telling you how I felt sooner."

"Don't dwell on that, not now, not ever," I said. "It took a lot of guts to do what you did, coming from someone else who had to do it once and didn't get the favorable response." I was still thinking about what he'd said about having no way to prove that they'd ever been there. It would be like the four kids who went to Narnia--only Cody, Mike, Shelly and I would ever know, and honestly, once Frodo was gone, who was to say that it wasn't some four-way hallucination? Or some huge, beautiful game of pretend? The one girl from Narnia eventually dismissed the whole thing as a silly game, and I didn't think I could stand it if that happened to one of the four of us, and I suddenly wanted some kind of proof. My mind was scrambling when Frodo brought up another thought.

"Don't tell anyone this," he said, and looked in my eyes before continuing. I nodded and he finished his thought. "I hope Mike is wrong, I hope it doesn't work. I don't want to leave you and I don't look forward to the rest of my quest."

"If it works, and you go back, you WILL do it."

"Of course. But just because I understand that I have certain obligations doesn't mean I have to like it."

I nodded, and while I was sitting there, still snuggled against him, it came to me--the proof I wanted. I would have to go to Wal-Mart, but luckily we were still in town. A little while later, when the four of us were piling into the car, I asked Shelly to take me there. "I just need to run in and get one thing--you don't even have to park, just drop me off and circle the parking lot."

"Sure," said Shelly. "But what do you need?"

"Just trust me this once, okay? You'll thank me later," I told her, grinning evilly.

At Wal-Mart Frodo and I got out of the car and ran inside. He followed me closely, our hands entwined.

"What are you getting?" he asked.

"It's too complicated to explain. I'll tell you tomorrow," I said. We weren't in the store long, and we were soon on the way home.

"What'd you get?" Shelly asked.

"You'll see tomorrow!"

"What'd she get, Frodo?"

Frodo shrugged. "Two little blue-and-white boxes about this big," he said, holding up his hands. "It's hard to recognize things the way you sell them these days, in the colored boxes and all."

I smiled. That was too vague to give it away, and apparently Frodo hadn't read what I'd bought, or at least not recognized the word. I don't think it was a word back in his day.

When we arrived back at the house, the guys had come up with new sleeping arrangements. I realized, though, that Cody and Mike were not aware that Frodo and I had been sharing a bed, and thought it was just Legolas and Shelly. Apparently they figured that Frodo was still with the rest of the Hobbits and figured that I was sleeping on the loveseat--or, at least, I HOPED they weren't assuming I was sleeping on the waterbed with Gimli.

As soon as I had a spare second I explained this to Frodo. Cody and Mike were doing this as a way to watch Legolas and Shelly, but if we kept quiet they wouldn't know about the two of us. "They think you're in with Merry, Pippin, and Sam, and they'll think I'm alone in Shell's parents' room."

He nodded. "We'd best be quiet tonight, then."

We managed to sneak in there unnoticed. He went into the bathroom in there to change, and when he was finished I took my turn. When I came out he was poking the "mattress" and watchng it wiggle. I couldn't help but laugh.

"This is going to be weird," I said. "I've never even slept on one of these alone, much less with someone else next to me moving it."

He nodded, kind of transfixed with the motion.

"These things kind of have a reputation," I said.

"Really? What?"

I was glad we'd left only the nightlight on, because I felt myself flush bright red. "Well...they were first invented about thirty years ago, in the seventies...when there was this so-called revolution going on..." I paused. "You know what? Nevermind. I like you innocent, and it'll be easier for me to deal if you just don't know some things."

He frowned. "What?"

"Really. I don't think you'd understand even if I explained."

He shrugged. "Well, if you say so, love." He sat down on his side and tried to wait for the motion to stop, and it didn't. I giggled and as he was laying flat, I laid down on my side of the bed.

Now, what I had long since forgotten--despite the fact that my parents had had a waterbed when I was really little, and my brother and sister had one as well--was that the tendency of a heavy object (ie, person) in a waterbed is to roll towards the center. So the next thing we knew, without planning it at all, my face was quite squarely planted in the middle of his chest.

Rubbing my bonked nose, I pulled back and shifted myself more towards the head of the bed so that our faces were on a level. "Sorry," I said. "That wasn't intentional." I couldn't help but think, _At least the positions weren't reversed!_

"Of course not, love," Frodo laughed. "This thing "

"No joke!" I settled myself against him, letting the natural gravity work in my favor. It would be easier to get the thing to stop moving if we didn't hold ourselves apart. This time, however, my face was snuggled in the crook of his neck. He wrapped his arms around me and held me close.

"Now hold still," he whispered. Gradually the rocking settled down and we were still.

I smiled. "Do you move in your sleep?"

"Not normally, at least not since we've been together." He bent his head to kiss me, but even that motion set the bed going again. He stopped. "Is it going to do that every time we move?"

"Yeah, pretty much," I said.

"Well, then, let me kiss you all I want and then we'll worry about staying still, okay?"

I didn't answer him, I just kissed him. We kissed for a few minutes, and when it was out of our systems for the night we settled down, stayed absolutely motionless, and went to sleep.

I had been afraid to get out of bed for fear of waking Frodo when we'd slept on normal mattresses, but that morning when I woke I almost held my breath. I knew that if I moved at all it would set the bed rocking, but it was okay--it gave me an excuse to just lay there, breathing in his scent, happy for a time. If no one had ever come to wake us up, if I could just stay there, motionless, for eternity, I would have been all right.

I felt him tense when he woke up.

"Frodo?" I murmured sleepily. "Are you awake?"

"Yes, love."

I lifted my face to his and we shared a long good-morning kiss. Scratch what I said--that was what I wanted to last for eternity, just me and him, no one to interrupt us, just lying in each other's arms.

He told me something very much to that effect and I just pulled myself close to him. I hummed a snatchet of song.

"What's that, love?" he asked me.

"Um, Aerosmith. I can never remember the name...'I Don't Want to Miss a Thing,' that's it."

Frodo smiled. "Could you--"

Suddenly there was a knock on the door. I groaned. "Yes?"

"Sarah, are you in there?" It was Cody.

"No, Cody, this is just a reasonable facsimile of my voice. You retard."

"Are you decent?"

I looked down over the blankets. I pushed it down off of our shoulders so Cody would clearly see that Frodo and I had clothes on. "Sure, come in." I knew he'd figure it out sooner or later anyway.

He walked in and stood at the foot of the bed. "Well, well, well. So it's not just Shelly and Legolas."

"It was my idea," I said. "I was the one that offered to leave Shelly's room and let them sleep together. Up until last night we were trading off the bed and the porch swing."

Cody nodded, trying to think what to say.

Frodo sat up. "Look, Cody, you had best not say or do anything. I love Sarah as she loves me. She has conducted herself with complete propriety from the moment we met, so you don't have to worry about her. As for myself--whatever I may or may not wish to do, I love her too much to let that get in the way, and I would die before I would dishonor her." He paused. "And frankly, Cody, for you to be so suspicious of an innocent relationship makes me wonder about your own intentions in your relationships with girls."

I laughed aloud. "Good point!" I told Frodo. "See, Cody, not EVERY guy is about having a reesey-piecey bleached-blonde hanging off his arm."

Cody had been staring at Frodo blankly, his brain frozen, but at that he turned bright red. "Now just you wait--"

"Leila and Randi. 'Nuff said," I told him, crossing my arms. "Now get out. We'll be out there in a few minutes. And don't you DARE send Mike or anyone else in here after us."

He was mad, but he couldn't defend himself against that. While I didn't think that Cody was after sex, he certainly wasn't after a loving, caring relationship, either. He left, nearly slamming the door behind him.

"What was that all about?" Frodo asked.

I laughed. "Cody tends to only date pretty girls, he really isn't that particular about personalities. He goes for trophy girlfriends. And before you ask, a trophy girlfriend, or wife as the case may be, is a girl who's drop-dead gorgeous but generally not that bright."

He laughed with me, and we shared one more kiss before we got out of bed to go about getting ready for the day.

Everyone was at the table eating cereal, wearing whatever they slept in. I looked around affectionately, knowing I would only see this one more time. Tears came into my eyes at that thought, but suddenly I remembered my purchase from the night before. I ran to my bag in Shelly's room and grabbed it.

As Frodo sat with his cereal, I stood at one end of the table with my surprise. "Hi, guys," I said, getting everyone to glance at me and smile, and the next thing they knew there was a flash of light.

"What was that?" Aragorn was the first to ask.

"Are you trying to blind us, woman?" Gimli added.

"A CAMERA?" Shelly squealed. "Sarah, you're a genius!" I grinned and didn't bother reminding her that I had just taken her picture with her still in her pajamas.

"What was that thing?" Sam asked.

"Remember we explained pictures to you?" Shelly asked.

"Yes," Frodo supplied for the group.

"Well, the little box Sarah has there makes pictures," Mike explained.

"I got two one-time-use cameras," I said, "So I can make almost fifty pictures. I'll be doing this all day. As soon as everyone has eaten and gotten dressed for today I want you to all sit on the couch so I can take a group picture, okay?"

Everyone agreed and we did it. Luckily the Fellowship came from a time before cameras were invented, and before the rumor spread that having your picture taken sucked out your soul.

The day passed normally, except that I was snapping pictures occasionally--during training, and the guys playing Nintendo, and all of us just goofing off together. I saved ten pictures for the next day--tomorrow morning they would be putting on their Middle-Earth clothes and I wanted to get pictures of that, and then run in to one-hour photo at Wal-Mart before they left so they could see the pictures. According to Mike they had to leave at more or less the same time they arrived, so they would be around until three or so.

But as of the moment I took the group picture (one with me, Shelly, Cody, and Mike, and one without), we were down to the final thirty hours.

I had never been so sad or so scared in all my life.

A/N: So tell me...did it go pretty well, considering that it was written by two chicks who've never actually been on a date?


	41. Elvish Lovers

DISCLAIMER: We do not own LOTR, if we did this story would be true.

Authoress's Notes:

SHELLY: Yay! Another chapter for you! This is a short chapter, but it's still fun. Please read and review. If you don't Sauron may come to visit your house, or worse we may send...MIKE! Enjoy!

Chapter Forty-One-Elvish Lovers

Shelly POV

The next morning at about seven o'clock, someone was knocking on our door. I rolled over to get up, but Legolas put his arm around my waist and pulled me back to him, holding me close. He whispered, "Make them think we're still asleep and maybe they'll go away." I obeyed and immediately closed my eyes.

"Shelly, I know you're awake, what are you and the elf doing in there?" Cody yelled.

"Whatever we want!" I yelled back. At that, Cody burst through the door to see two fully clothed people laying on a bed.

"What do you want, Cody?" I asked, impatiently.

"I want to know if Legolas wants to have a talk, outside," Cody said, cracking his knuckles.

"Cody, he would kick your butt and you know it. So back off. Why don't you go bug Sarah? Legolas and I will be out in a minute." Cody looked surprised that I'd talk to him that way. I don't know why he would be, he knows that I am not a morning person. In fact, the only people I can ever recall being nice to in the morning was the Fellowship.

As soon as Cody was out the door, Legolas kissed my cheek. "Well, I guess we better get up," he said, beginning to sit up.

"If that was my good morning kiss, you had better try it again." I said, smiling at him.

He complied, and let's just say the results were much better this time. Once we got out of the room, we sat down and began eating breakfast, but I noticed that Legolas' hand never left my knee. If Cody noticed it, he didn't say anything. I think he was still in shock after finding Sarah and Frodo all snuggled up in each other's arms. Suddenly, I saw a bright flash.

Someone had just taken a picture of me in my pajamas. Then, I realized I was sitting next to Legolas, and Sarah had taken a picture of all of us. She would be taking pictures all day and develop them before the Fellowship left, which meant that I would have a picture of Legolas to keep.

Once training was over, Legolas and I went for a walk, but it turns out someone was following us. Suddenly, flash! Sarah was taking a picture of us walking hand in hand and Merry, Pippin and Frodo were laughing.

"Sarah, you're acting like a paparazzi. Get a grip," I said. She just laughed maniacally and clicked again. Suddenly, I grabbed Legolas' hand and took off running. "I think I just realized how celebrities feel," I said, as I climbed into a tree house that my sister and I had when we were small.

"Why would you realize that? And what was that thing you called Sarah, a kamikaze? I thought those were people who bombed Pearl Harbor. At least that's what Cody said."

"Well, the reason I now realize how celebrities feel is because we were just chased with a camera. Many celebrities do not want their private lives photographed, but people called PAPARAZZI do it for money. Not kamikaze, paparazzi."

"Oh." Legolas decided to change the subject. "Did you know that you're especially beautiful when you're explaining things?"

"No, I don't believe anyone's ever told me that. Normally, they just tell me I'm bossy or a know-it-all," I said, leaning into him.

"Well, you're very beautiful all of the time, but especially when you are trying to be modest," he said, leaning down and dropping a kiss on my hair. "Hey, can I braid your hair?" Legolas asked, suddenly pulling away.

"Why?" I asked.

"It would be something for me to remember. Plus, only elvish lovers braid each other's hair," he said, with a wink.

"I think Cody may be rubbing off on you," I said, with a laugh. "Of course you can braid my hair, as long as I don't have to braid yours. I'm the worst person in the world with hair."

He smiled. "I would have to do a warrior braid in my own anyway, so it's just as well. Now, turn around."

I obeyed and soon, he was running his fingers through my hair and I loved it. I loved him, too, but this was such a beautiful expression of his love for me. After a minute or two I took his hand and brushed my lips against it. "Thank you for loving me," I said, with tears in my eyes.

"You are the one doing me the honor by allowing me to love you," he said. I noticed sadness in his voice that normally wasn't there. "Do you know that when I started this quest it was more like a holiday? I mean, I knew it was serious, but I didn't really let it affect me. But now, I understand what rides on our success." He stopped as if trying to get control of his emotions. "So thank you, my mellamin, the only one for me."

I was near tears and didn't trust my voice, so he finished braiding my hair in silence. I turned around once he was done. "You're welcome, my dearest. You will always be the only one for me."

We climbed out of the tree house and saw Sarah and Frodo sitting next to a tree-kissing, of course.

"What have we here?" I said, loudly.

"Oh, we were looking for you and got...a little distracted," Sarah said, blushing as red as her hair. "Oh my gosh, Shelly, your hair looks lovely. Legolas, did you do that?"

"Yes," he answered quietly. "Shelly has not even seen it, she may find it hideous."

I turned to him. "You did it, so I'll love it, plus I have faith in you," I said, although I was a little curious, since when I walked in the living room, I heard all the guys simultaneously say, "Wow!" I pulled Legolas behind me and ran to the bathroom. I looked at my hair in the mirror. It was made up of two very intricate braids that came together as one. "You did that in a few minutes?" I said, in disbelief. "It's beautiful, but isn't it generally reserved for married couples?" I asked.

"Nope, only those in love, which we very much are," he said, sweetly. I quickly pulled him into a long, lingering kiss. Just as we were about to pull away, I heard a click. I opened my eyes to see Sarah standing there.

"Lunch is ready," she said, taking a picture of Frodo, Legolas, and me all standing together.

As she walked away, I said, "Maybe that camera wasn't such a good idea."

A/N: Okay, I hope you enjoyed this little chapter. It's almost time for them to leave. :( Now just click the little button over there and Sarah and I may post the next chapter sooner.


	42. A Paparazzi Seeing Stars

DISCLAIMER: We do not own Lord of the Rings. If we did, you would be able to find an Elijah Wood poster as easily as an Orlando Bloom poster. -grumble grumble-

Authoress's Notes:  
SARAH: You've waited long enough, I won't hold you up with a million notes.

Chapter Forty-Two-A Paparazzi Seeing Stars  
Sarah POV

I had a blast taking pictures. Even when I wasn't playing paparazzi, it was funny because none of the Fellowship really knew how to pose. Still, I was hoping the pictures I took would be good-like what I'd seen of Viggo Mortensen's photos, accurate depictions of people but at the same time interesting angles and lighting and stuff. I got Shelly to take pictures of me and Frodo. I would have gotten one of the Fellowship to do it, but remembering the way my very first pictures had come out, I decided I wanted someone with more experience to do it. And, even though it kind of annoyed Shelly, I got a picture of her and Legolas walking and I was sure it would turn out beautifully. After calling me a paparazzi-which I never actually denied-she finally ran off to escape, leaving me, Frodo, Merry, and Pippin to our own devices.

I shrugged. "Sing a drinking song," I said to Merry and Pippin, and they were more than willing to make idiots of themselves while I took a picture. Then Mike came out on the porch and yelled that he was looking for two more Nintendo players, so Frodo and I were alone.

"Explain to me some more about this camera thing," Frodo said.

I shrugged. "Point, click, a reverse image is made on the film stuff inside, and then with special chemicals you can print them on paper. It's one of those things like cars, only certain people completely understand how it works. If I went back to your world I couldn't do it because I have to take this to certain people who know how to put them on paper."

He nodded. "And you couldn't build a car because you only know how to drive it."

"Right."

He took my hand and led me to a nearby tree, and we sat. He didn't let go, but for a moment just smiled at me. "I will always treasure this time."

I looked down at the ground between my shoes. "Yeah," I said, not having enough control over my emotions not to cry if I talked. I hummed instead, something that had been running through my head all day.

"What is that?" Frodo asked, per usual.

I laughed, and quoted him part of it-I was in no mood to sing. "''Cause you want to take my picture, 'cause I won't remember.' It's a song called 'Take a Picture' by a band called Filter. The rest of it doesn't make all that much sense, something about an airplane. Oh, and the other part I like says 'Can everyone agree that no one should be left alone?'"

"I can agree with that," Frodo said, a bitter tone coming into his voice.

"Don't be like that," I said. "We had our time."

"It wasn't enough, it could never be enough." He looked at me, his huge eyes full to the brim with emotion. "Don't you understand? I could spend eternity with you and it would still not be enough, I would still want just another minute, just a few more precious seconds. Any time I could get I would take."

I closed my eyes and leaned against my knees. "We've known this was coming," I said gently.

I felt his arm slide across my shoulders and I leaned against him, then actually turned and laid across his lap.

"I will never forget you, pictures or no," I said. "Me, Shelly, even Cody and Mike will never forget it. I don't know that it means quite so much to them."

"I don't think anything in either of our whole wide worlds could mean as much to anyone as you mean to me."

I leaned up just a little and he met me halfway in a kiss. It didn't take very long for us to get really into it, me sitting up and facing him, and pulling him close in my arms.

"What have we here?" I suddenly heard Shelly asking. Apparently she and Legolas had decided to come out of hiding. It turned out that Legolas had done Shelly's hair and it was GORGEOUS. I had seen her with her hair done up fancy for two different dances but it had never looked that good. It must have been Legolas' Elvish touch, because even though Shelly was still in just a plain t-shirt and jeans, she was every bit as pretty as Arwen ever was. Of course, I had to snap a picture of that because by tomorrow morning it would be all fallen apart, and managed to catch Shelly kissing Legolas. She was irritated at the intrusion, but I was sure that when Legolas wasn't there for her to kiss anymore she would be obsessed with the final product.

I didn't think about how much time I would stare at the picture where Frodo was holding me in his arms, looking deep into my eyes-reading my soul.

We ate lunch quietly-we just had sandwiches and we didn't all sit at the table together like we normally did. Shelly, Legolas, Frodo, and I went off in our respective pairs and ate alone.

After lunch Sam and I did the dishes together. I didn't say anything but he knew something was wrong. "Are you all right, Sarah?"

I bit my lip. "Tomorrow evening I'll likely be doing this alone, is all. I don't mind the work, I just...oh, Sam," I sighed, and pulled him into a hug, tears in my eyes. "Frodo isn't the only one I'll miss, you know," I said softly.

He patted my back gently. I think I caught him way off his guard. "We'll all miss you as well," he said. He suddenly hugged back, really tightly. "Mr. Frodo won't ever be the same, and I don't know as that's good or not, but I think he understands now." He let go of me and tried, fumblingly, to explain. "I think that the quest, for him, was just to get rid of his awful burden, to keep those Ringwraiths from killing everyone in the Shire. But now he knows that it's not just about keeping the worst from happening, it's about saving all that's good in the world. Family, friends, love..." He lowered his gaze but I bent and looked him in the eye, which made him look back up. "And you two have made me see some things...I...if I ever get back to Bagshot Row, there's someone as I need to talk to."

I tilted my head, smiling. "Frodo told me that back home you Hobbits aren't openly romantic, you're like the Amish that way, there is no public romance until suddenly out of the blue there's a wedding. But here, it's all right. It wouldn't kill you to say her name once. It might make you feel better, in fact."

Sam blushed. "Rosie Cotton. I ought not to have left her without saying anything. I should have asked her to wait for me. Like as not she'll have taken up with some other fellow when I get back."

"Have the two of you done any of that secret courting or have you not said anything to her, Sam?"

"We were courting."

"Well, everything I've seen and read of her makes it seem to me that she's a smart girl. She'll understand." I smiled at Sam. "She also seems very loyal." I patted his shoulder and left the kitchen, since we were done, but not before I saw the hopeful smile on his face.

At least he'll get a chance to talk to her again, I thought. It's not like Frodo can come back here once his quest is over.

I sighed, and went and found my draw stuff. Frodo was playing Nintendo and I wanted a few moments, anyway. It had been a few days since I'd had a chance to draw.

I wanted to give Frodo one of the photos SO badly, but I knew I couldn't do that. I knew that having such a thing in a time before the technology existed could very possibly get him branded as a heretic or some such, but at the same time I wanted him to have some physical memento of the two of us.

Dinner came and went, and still I was working on my picture. I wanted this one to be perfect. Frodo and I talked quite a lot in between his turns, but I didn't let him see what I was drawing. After I finally finished, I started packing away my draw stuff and Frodo switched out and let someone else play the Nintendo. "Let's go walk," he said.

I smiled and nodded. "Let me dump this back in Shell's room." I put away my draw stuff and Frodo and I went off walking.

The sun had just set but it was still fairly light. The first stars were starting to come out in the pale purple sky.

"Let's not walk," I said, "Let's stargaze." We were a decent distance from the house by then, so I dropped to my knees. "Come on, lay down."

He smiled, sat on the ground, and laid back. I laid my head in the crook of his neck and he put his hand on my shoulder. I pointed with my free hand. "I don't know a lot about this, but I know some. You see those three stars right in a row?"

"Yeah."

"That's part of the constellation Orion. You know what a constellation is, right?"

"A star-picture? We have those back home. The Elves have made a science of it, and that's fascinating, but in the Shire we mostly like to find our own pictures."

I smiled. "Okay. Anyway, that's Orion. The three stars are his belt and there are four corners around it, I think the one is his sword and another is his shield and all. My favorite constellation is over there," I said, pointing. "See the square?"

It took Frodo a minute to see it, but he found it. "Yes."

"Then below it there's four stars, five out front and four out back, and above it three that make a bent line?" I was tracing out the lines with my fingertip.

"It's like a horse," he said.

"Yeah, that's Pegasus, the Winged Horse. In...I think it's Greek mythology, though it may be Roman so don't quote me on that. Actually it's been, like, six years since I read the story so don't quote me on any of this, I may be remembering bits and pieces of three or four different stories and getting it all wrong." I laughed. "Not that you'd know the difference. It's still entertaining. Anyway, he was tamed by a man named Bellerophon who rode him on some quests, killed a phoenix, I think, or maybe it was a harpy, some kind of bird-monster. Eventually Bellerophon rode him to the mountain of the gods."

"Gods? Plural?"

"Yeah, the Greeks had kind of a made-up religion, which nobody today believes but it makes for fascinating fairy-tale kind of reading. Anyway, Bellerophon fell, and technically they should have killed Pegasus for defiling their mountain, but they decided that since it wasn't his idea, they would place him in the heavens and so now he's permanently honored as a constellation."

"Do they all have stories like that?"

"I think so. I only know that one, though, and I don't even really know that."

"Right." He sighed from deep within and I snuggled closer, suddenly feeling cold. "Well, then, let's try this the Shire way. Like, over here," he pointed. "See that where there's a square and three more dots?"

He was pointing out the Big Dipper. "Yeah."

"If you look at it this way," he said, tilting his head, "It's a question mark."

I giggled. It kind of did look like one.

"It makes me think of tomorrow."

I sighed. "Now," I said.

"Sorry. Of course."

A moment passed, and I just soaked in his physical presence, thrilled with the fact that he was there, just there. I pointed out a group of stars that looked like a boat to me, and he in turn found something that I would have called a coffee mug but he thought was a stein. We had a lovely time, looking at the sky and talking about everything, cabbages and kings as the saying goes, and kissing occasionally. We were out there for hours. When we finally went in it was ten o'clock.

"About time!" Mike said. "Where were you?"

I shrugged. "Around," I said. "Where were you?" I asked sarcastically.

"Drop it, guys," Cody said. "We were waiting for you to get back because Mike suggested that we watch a movie."

"Sarah, how perfect would 'The Princess Bride' be?" Shelly piped in.

My eyes widened. "How did we not think of that, like, a week ago? Frodo, come on, you will LOVE this movie!" We quickly settled on one end of the couch as Shelly turned off all the lights and started the video.

A/N: I could have gotten the CORRECT myth of Pegasus had I done a tiny bit of research, but I felt it was morerealistic to have the wrong information in the story. (Since it's irrelevant information anyway, and obviously I don't have an internet-capable laptop attached to my hip, I would have told him what I remembered.)A quick google of "Bellerophon" will bring up the right story. (Don't search "Pegasus," there are too many things named after him.) Review and the paparazzi will avoid you!


	43. Do You Think This Happens Everyday?

DISCLAIMER:We do not own LOTR, if we did, they would be under our beds right now.

Authoress's Notes:

SHELLY: Well, here we go. Read and Review, But flames will merely be placed into the fire we are roasting Mike on. Just kidding. Read and enjoy. BTW, we don't own the Princess Bride either.

Chapter Forty-Three-Do You Think This Happens Every Day?

Shelly POV

After lunch, Legolas and I decided we wanted to spend some time with the group. As much as we loved each other, I had become friends with the rest of the Fellowship, and he would miss Cody and Mike as well as me. So while Legolas played Nintendo, I began to talk to Gimli.

"So Gimli, I guess you're excited to be going back home?" I said lightly, but I noticed Legolas' back stiffen.

"Well, lass, I'm not so sure. Last week, I would've been thrilled, but the more I think of it, the more I'll miss this place," Gimli said.

"Thank you, Gimli. I'm glad you enjoyed your time here. I was worried that I had neglected the rest of you because I was so caught up in Legolas and my relationship," I confessed, quietly enough that even Legolas had to strain to hear me.

"Lass, you did right by all of us. We all enjoyed our time here and we will ALL miss you," Gimli ended, emphasizing the "all" and winking at me. I pulled him into a hug before I started to cry. "Besides, once we leave here, we must go into that dreadful forest where the sorceress lives," Gimli said, grumpily.

Legolas turned around as if to say something, but I shook my head. Legolas simply raised an eyebrow and turned around to play some more.

"Gimli, you must keep an open mind. Maybe she won't be as bad as you think," I said.

"Maybe not," Gimli said, getting up to go to the kitchen and get a drink. He didn't sound too enthusiastic. If only he knew.

Boromir sat down next to me once his turn was over. I had started out deciding that he was the one I was going to distrust, but the more I got to know him, the more I liked him. He was really nice and caring, especially to the Hobbits. He always helped me during training and he genuinely cared about Sarah and I.

"Milady Shelly, I know you hate that, but Sarah and you truly are ladies. If you were in Gondor, I would have my father officially make you such, for you are valiant and brave. Perhaps braver than some of our Fellowship, but that matters not. You have truly helped me to be at peace. More at peace than I have been for some time. Thank you," Boromir said, quietly.

"Oh, Boromir, you have become a great friend. You are welcome for everything, I'll never forget how kind you were to me."

He smiled. "No, Shelly, you were the kind one, to take us in and treat us well. The Fellowship will forever be in your debt."

I couldn't help but be happy that we'd made some of his time happy. I knew that he would still try to take the Ring, but at least he would have had a time of happiness. As the guys were playing, I realized that I hadn't checked my e-mail since they'd arrived. I stood up and was quickly met by Legolas.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"To check something. You can come if you want," I said, figuring he would want to stay and play.

"Okay, I'll come with you," he said, following me into my room. I sat on the computer and was shocked to find over 80 messages from so I sat down and began to go through them one by one. A few were LotR post-quest fics so I skipped those, but I saw that one of my favorite authors had written a pre-quest fic. I clicked it and began to read. I gasped. It was a slash between Frodo and Legolas. EWW! SO not what my eyes wanted to see. Before I could exit the page, Legolas was over my shoulder reading.

"Shelly, I...I...that would never happen. I don't like Frodo romantically. That's disgusting! What is it?" he asked, truly embarrassed and confused.

"It's called a fan fiction, my dear. People that like your story write small stories that they see happening within the Fellowship or between people. This particular one is called a slash, which means it involves male pairings or female pairings. I like this writer, and normally they don't write that kind of thing. I'm sorry, darling. I would never have read it otherwise," I said.

Legolas seemed to be completely shocked. "Are there other types of these stories?"

"Yes," I admitted.

"Are they all about Frodo and I?"

"No," I said.

"Well, then, who are they about?"

"Do you really want to know?" I asked, and he nodded his head. I sighed. "Some involve Merry and Pippin, some involve Frodo and Sam, some involve any of the four hobbits, some involve Boromir and Aragorn, many involve you and Aragorn, or perhaps the worst, you and Gimli."

As I said each name, Legolas got paler and paler, if that was possible. "But, that makes no sense, Aragorn has Arwen, Sam has Rosie, Merry and Pippin are related and Gimli was married, I have you, and Frodo has Sarah," Legolas said, getting visibly ill at the thought.

"I know, dearest, but no one else knows about Sarah and I. Everyone else mistakes friendship for true love," I said, trying to calm him. "No one believes it, though. They simply write it for entertainment," I said, finishing up my e-mail.

We walked back out of my room and went to the living room with the guys.

"Legolas, mellon, what is wrong?" Aragorn said, jumping out of his chair.

"Nothing, Aragorn," I said, "Except maybe that he might think you're a pervy Elf fancier."

He just looked at me with the oddest expression and Legolas glared at me. I wondered if it would make Aragorn think of Arwen.

After dinner, Legolas asked me to go outside with him. As we stepped to the back porch, I realized we hadn't been out there in a few days. He took my hands and we stood underneath my dogwood tree.

"I'm going to miss you so much, mellamin," I said.

"I will hate being apart from you as well," Legolas echoed. He started playing with a flower on the tree. "I will never forget you. This is true love. I know it-even if I die, I will still love you." He gently plucked the flower and tucked it into my hair, alongside the braids.

"Death cannot stop true love...all it can do is delay it for a while," I said, quietly quoting one of my favorite lines from one of my favorite movies.

"Where did you hear that?"

"From a movie. Hey, it's almost ten, why don't we go watch it?" We went inside, and Cody and Mike loved the idea of watching a movie.

"I even know which movie to watch," I said.

"Which one is that?" Cody asked, probably thinking I'd say Pirates.

"The Princess Bride."

"NO!" Cody yelled. Needless to say, he doesn't care for that movie. He gave in when I told him he could just go to bed, which he did. Sarah and Frodo came in and Sarah wanted to watch it too, so Legolas claimed the couch while I put the movie in. "The Princess Bride," best as I can describe it without giving it away, is kind of a cross between "Ever After" and "Shrek"-it's funny, but also very profound at certain points. As we watched the story begin, Legolas draped his arm around me. I cuddled up against his side and watched the movie. Legolas was really enjoying it. He even understood the humor. I had drifted off to sleep and awoke to hear one of my favorite lines in the movie.

"There's something you ought to know."

"What's that?"

"I'm not left-handed either."

Legolas began to laugh. "That's a wonderful trick."

Once the movie was over, I looked over at him. "I think that our kisses would definitely surpass theirs," he said. Even though the lights were out, I was sure he could still tell I was blushing.

"Really, your highness?" I asked, pretending to be indignant. "Let's go for a walk," I said, as everyone else began to drift off to bed.

"As you wish," he said, making me giggle. Legolas and I took our walk in the woods. We came back at about one or two. All we did was walk and talk, but as we were climbing up the back steps onto the porch, I heard Cody whistle.

"About time you two made it back. Shouldn't you go to bed? After all, Legolas, you have a big day tomorrow," Cody said.

"Yes, Cody, but I do not need sleep," Legolas answered.

"And I can sleep after he's gone," I said, though I hated to admit such a time was coming so quickly.

Legolas and I walked into the house and went to my room. We sat up talking about the past two weeks for the rest of the night, before I finally drifted off to sleep in his arms.

A/N:They're really leaving us. :( Review and let us know how you liked this chapter.


	44. The End of All Things

DISCLAIMER: We do not own Lord of the Rings. If we did, Lost would have more LotR cast members than just Dom Monaghan.

Authoress's Notes:  
SARAH: We STILL don't own "The Princess Bride." Or McDonald's. Or anything else that's copyrighted. This chappie is mush, mush, mush. And it's Wednesday. (I wish it was already Wednesday IRL, so I could see the new LOST!) Despite the title of this chapter, is it NOT the last chapter! We're on 44 out of 50! There are FIVE MORE COMING! (I'd like to think there's some symbolism in that-it's called "The end..." but it's not really...) Anyway. You might want to have the tissues handy on this one. Enjoy...

Chapter Forty-Four-The End of All Things  
Sarah POV

Watching "The Princess Bride" with Frodo (well, the Fellowship, but it wasn't like I was paying attention to anyone else) was so great! Neither of us talked much, for once both of us paid full attention-me because I knew what was coming and loved watching it again, and he because it's just a great movie. When it was over we pretty much went straight to bed. We did as we had the night before, kissing for several minutes and then lying still, but tonight we talked. And talked. We were up very late, even for me-we didn't sleep until we could distinguish the dawn entering the windows.

"Do you think that's true, that true love can overcome all those obstacles?" Frodo asked me. "I mean, so many of the movies we've watched had happy endings, but it doesn't seem-"

I placed my hand over his lips. He pressed a kiss to my fingers.

"Love conquers all," I said, "Or so the saying goes. And yes, I do believe it."

"I love you."

I smiled. "I shall never love again," I told him, quoting the heroine of "The Princess Bride."

He paused, trying to think of the proper response. "This is true love, you think this happens every day?"

I laughed lightly and snuggled closer to him. "Of course it doesn't." I paused. "Will you always come for me? Or at least try, even if the closest we ever come again is the afterlife?"

"As soon as my quest is over, if I even survive it, you will be all I think of."

I buried my face in his neck, breathing in deeply of him. "You are all I ever think of even now," I admitted. "And don't say things like you might not survive the quest. Think positive."

"That will be impossible when we're apart."

"You have to try, love. For me, do it for me."

He thought about it long and hard before answering. "All right."

The next morning we were woken by Shelly knocking on the door. "Breakfast is ready," she said. "Cody and Mike made bacon and eggs."

Neither Frodo nor I had gotten quite enough sleep, but we wouldn't have traded the time for even one more wink.

After breakfast the Fellowship all spread to their rooms and slowly drifted back in wearing their Middle-Earth clothes. When Frodo showed back up, I grabbed him by the lapels of his coat, pulled him to me, and kissed him for all I was worth.

"What was that for?" he asked teasingly.

"I always wanted to do that," I confessed. "Even before we technically met. And then lately you haven't worn anything with lapels."

He laughed and rolled his eyes at me.

I took the last ten of my pictures-two more groups photos, me with Frodo, Shelly with Legolas, and a few others. After the second camera reached the end, I told Frodo, "Now go put on modern clothes one more time. We're going to town to get these developed."

Mike raised an eyebrow. "The two of you alone?"

"Yeah," I said. "Why not?"

"Because you'll run off with him and not come back here. I better go along."

"Not happening, Mike. Period. It's my vehicle and my boyfriend and you can't stop me."

"You wanna watch me?"

Cody butted into the conversation. "Mike, shut up. Sarah is nothing if not responsible, they'll be back."

Grudgingly, Mike listened, and soon Frodo and I were on our way. We held hands as I drove one last time, and I played love songs on the CD player while we talked. At WalMart I dropped the film off at one-hour photo and requested four sets of prints (one each for me, Shelly, Cody, and Mike), and Frodo and I had lunch in the McDonald's that was in the building. When they finally paged me, I gave Frodo a peck on the cheek. "I'll be right back. Don't...go...anywhere."

He smiled. "The last thing I need is to get lost. I'll wait here."

I was soon back with the pictures. I quickly divided the pictures into four sets and then Frodo scooted close to me so we could look at them together.

"There's you and me," I said, "And there's Boromir making his crazy face." I laughed. "And Merry and Pippin..." I turned and kissed his cheek. "Here, you look while I walk, there's one thing I need to get before we go, okay?"

He took my set of the pictures, I slipped the other three in my bag, and he followed me while I went back to housewares and chose a small silver picture frame. I paid for it up front and we were on our way home not much later.

The first thing I did was pass out the pictures, and everyone wanted to see. Luckily with four sets it didn't take long. While everyone was all excited, I disappeared for a few moments, getting something ready. When I came back in the living room, Mike had another announcement.

"I'm going outside to watch the weather. Everyone be ready to go in one hour," he said.

I gasped. It was down to minutes, now. I turned to Frodo, tears in my eyes. "It's slipping away, now. No matter how tight I hold on all I can hope to do is slow you down a little," I said, paraphrasing a line from an Elijah Wood movie I'd seen.

He pulled me into his arms, shushing me. "Let's walk," he suggested. "Let me put my pack out on the back porch and we'll take a walk."

I nodded, and I waited on the couch while he changed back to his own clothes and got his pack ready.

Frodo and I walked away from the house, up towards camp. We ended up right where we had started the whole thing, sitting on the bench where he had first admitted to me that he loved me.

His voice was husky with unshed tears when he finally decided to speak. "This is where I laid it all on the line. I said, then, that I would rather have a small amount of time with you than none at all," he said. "And to that I hold."

I smiled softly at his quote, wondering if it was intentional. "It went by so fast," I said.

He nodded. "Too fast. It only seems like it's been an hour or two." He reached his hand over and cupped my face, studying me intently. I lowered my eyes, but he lifted my chin, making me meet his gaze. "I want to remember you," he said. "I'm memorizing you."

At that I let tears spill. "Oh, Frodo..." I threw myself into his arms, and he just held me, running a calming hand up and down my back.

I felt his tears in my hair and on my shoulder. "Sarah...I can't do this."

I pulled back. "You have to, love. If you don't go back, the world will fall. Think of the Shire. Think of all that you have left to see and to do..."

"What is there left after this? After you?"

Fresher tears fell. "You have to go. I don't want you to go any more than you want to go, but you do have to."

He nodded. Then, at last, he pulled me into a kiss. He held tightly to me with one arm and let his fingers tangle in my hair with the other. I held his face in my hands.

When we parted I leaned my forehead against his.

"After I return, I'll care for nothing save the destruction of the Ring," he said.

"I know." I sighed. "I can never love another."

He looked into my eyes. "I want you to be happy, Sarah, and if that means another love-"

I put my finger over his lips. "'There is only one happiness in life, to love and be loved.' George Sand said that. When I loved before, and was not loved in return, it hurt, and I wished for something better. But now, there is nothing better. I could never love again, Frodo."

He smiled softly. "I would have you happy," he said.

"I may be happy again, someday, Frodo. But always as a single woman, and not quite like happiness was for me before. It will not be the same. That's the best I can promise."

He kissed me softly. "That is all I ask."

I bit my lip. "You say you want to remember."

He nodded.

"I can't give you any of the photographs, you know, because you simply can't have them in your world, but I do have something for you, to remember me by."

He pulled back, and I reached into my pocket and pulled out a small, flat package wrapped in paper. I'd stuck a tiny bow to it.

He quirked an eyebrow. "What is it?"

"Open it," I said. "Rip off the paper and see for yourself."

He nodded, and did as I'd said. What he found was the silver picture frame I'd bought. He turned it over to look at the picture. "Oh, Sarah," he breathed.

I'd drawn us. In the frame was a picture of him holding me in his arms, me snuggled against him, his face buried in my hair.

He looked up at me. "It's your masterpiece," he said.

I smiled. "Yes," I said simply. For once I agreed with someone's opinion of my skills. "Some people say they won't exhibit pieces because there's too much of themselves invested in them. I understand that now. This..." I placed my hands over his, indicating the picture, "Has all of me in it."

He nodded. "I'll carry it with me always, even to the ending of the world."

I cried a little more. "I'll always love you, Frodo."

"Just as I will always love you, Sarah."

We kissed again, long and hard and deep, tears mingling on our cheeks.

After that, it was time. He helped me stand and we walked hand-in-hand-as slowly as possible-back to the house. Everyone else was waiting in the backyard. I found out later that while we'd been gone Cody had brought the Ring back from the main building.

"Okay, now everyone stand there," Mike directed. "Or at least, everyone who's going back." The Fellowship all grouped together.

"Everyone ready?" Mike asked.

Aragorn nodded, but suddenly, as if on cue, Frodo and Legolas broke formation and walked over to me and Shelly respectively. I didn't see what Legolas did, but Frodo quite simply pulled me into his arms and gave me one last kiss, more passionate than any he'd ever given before. I wrapped my arms around his neck one last time.

He looked me in the eyes when we pulled apart. "I shall see you again someday," he said, "Though it may be beyond the circles of this world."

I bit my lip and nodded, thinking that if it were anyone else I would have explained that the world is not flat, but considering the moment and the poetry in the phrase I let it go. "That's all I could ever ask for." I paused. "When you think of me, don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened." I kissed his cheek softly, and at last let him go-the hardest thing I ever had to do.

He turned and joined the Fellowship.

Mike simply waited, staring at the sky. There some were clouds and stuff, but I have no idea what he waited on. At last the wind changed or something, and Mike yelled, "Run that way!" He pointed and the Fellowship took off. A moment later they disappeared, but not before Frodo looked over his shoulder at me and waved goodbye, and not before I blew him a kiss.

The four of us just stared at the empty space for the longest time. What do you do after that? What's the appropiate reaction right after you've lost your lifetime love?

Finally, I mustered up enough breath and couage to break the silence. "God go with them," I said darkly. I turned and walked into the house.

No one came after me, and I don't know what they did, but it was hours before I could talk to anyone. I didn't go in Shelly's room, knowing she would want to be in there. Instead I went in her parents' room and curled up on Frodo's side of the bed. He'd left his scent behind on the sheets and I breathed in deeply of it, the last true physical reminder of him.

I don't know how long I laid there crying before I fell asleep. Maybe it sounds calloused of me that I did sleep, and maybe I shouldn't have slept for days out of grief or whatever, but I did. Sleep is the only thing that can make you forget your troubles, and throughout my life it's been my coping device. It fills in the time until the first bitter sting of bad news fades and you're finally emotionally capable of just DEALING with the information.

And, of course, this was the worst news I'd ever gotten. I had never felt this before. For the first time in my life, I begain to comprehend the word "despair."

A/N: Oh. My. Gosh.

They're.

Gone.

But this is NOT The End! We still have five more chapters to go! PLEASE stick around, I assure you, you are NOT expecting what's coming!


	45. Three Rings

DISCLAIMER:We don't own LOTR, if we did we wouldn't bother writing this story.

Authoress's Notes:

SHELLY: Hey everybody, here's my version of how they left us. Sad isn't it that this story will be ending so soon. It almost makes me want to cry. Well, read and review and maybe Sarah will update soon. :)

Chapter Forty-Five-Three Rings

Shelly POV

The next morning I woke to Legolas placing a kiss on my forehead. "Did you know you're beautiful even when you're asleep?" he asked softly.

"Thank you, dearest," I said, placing a chaste kiss on his lips, and then getting up. I walked over to the window and looked out at the overcast sky. "Today's our last day, isn't it?" I said, in a small voice.

"If Mike's theory is correct, yes," Legolas said, coming behind me and wrapping his arms around my waist. Then, he placed a small kiss on my neck and I shivered. He liked that reaction, so he placed another one on the side of my neck. This time it tickled.

"Don't do that." I giggled.

"Is that ticklish, mellamin?" Legolas whispered in my ear.

"No," I replied, as he began to tickle my sides, not believing me.I started to giggle and I ran. Soon, he was chasing me around my bedroom. Finally, of course, I tripped and fell on the bed. Legolas immediately jumped up and began to mercilessly tickle me.

"Stop, stop," I said breathlessly, as tears began to stream down my face. "STOP!" I yelled. Suddenly, my door opened and there stood Mike and Cody. Their jaws were scraping the ground. I immediately realized what this looked like. For me and Legolas, it was a tickle fest. To Cody and Mike, I was laying on the bed with Legolas on top of me, and I had been crying and yelling.

"What do you think you're doing?" Cody asked, through clenched teeth.

"Cody, it's not what you think...he was only..." I started, but Legolas interrupted me.

"I was only making her laugh," he said, jumping off the bed and helping me up.

"Fine, just don't do it again," Mike said, pushing Cody out of the room.

"That didn't look too good," I said, smiling at Legolas.

"No, it didn't," Legolas said.

Suddenly, Cody's head reappeared in my doorway. "By the way, I'm making breakfast if you want to wake up Sarah and Frodo."

Legolas looked at me.

"Don't worry. He won't stay mad forever," I said.

"Yes, but will he forgive me before I leave?" Legolas asked, quietly.

"I'm sure he will. Let's not think about that now. We can think about it later," I said, pushing Legolas out of my bedroom. I went and woke up Frodo and Sarah.

After breakfast, the Fellowship were all getting ready to leave.

"Honey, I am going to take a shower before I change. I won't be long," Legolas said, dropping a kiss on my head. I hoped he hadn't gotten TOO addicted to hot, running water, as it would probably be the last he'd ever see of it. While I waited for him, Merry and Pippin came over and sat down next to me, wearing their adorable hobbit clothes.

"Shelly, we just wanted to thank you for everything. We wish to say we're sorry for bothering Legolas and you so much. Don't we, Pip?" Merry said, elbowing his younger cousin.

"Yes, Shelly. I'll especially miss your Mountain Dew," Pippin said.

"C'mere," I said, pulling them both into a gigantic hug. I went back through the rooms and made sure that everyone but Legolas was packed up, then began packing his bag for him.

I was almost done when Legolas walked in-wearing only a towel!

When he walked in, it was a natural reflex. I purred-or at least I made my sound that resembles a purr. There's no other way to describe it. Usually I only do it as a joke when I'm looking at pictures of guys, and I'd never done it for a guy that was actually there in front of me, but I couldn't help myself.

Legolas looked at me like he thought I was insane. "What was that?" he asked.

"Nothing, I just like that look for you. Are you sure you don't want to go back to Middle Earth dressed like that?" I said.

"I don't think so," he said. He walked over and kissed me senseless. "Now, you better leave while I get dressed," he said, pushing me out of the room.

"Shelly," I heard Sam say. "Did you know that your face is red as a tomato?"

"No, Sam. Thank you," I said, settling myself on the couch. "So, I guess you're ready to get out of here and back to a certain hobbit lass?"

Sam blushed cutely. "Well, yes and no. You see, I'm happy to be gettin' back to home, but I know Mr. Frodo isn't wantin' to leave Sarah. It'll be hard for him, no doubt," Sam said, slowly. "All the same, I'm glad he met her. He always was a peculiar hobbit, not marrying or courting at all. I guess he was always waiting on Sarah."

"That he was, Sam, my lad."

"She's not like Hobbit lasses, but that works for him, because he's not like most Hobbit lads."

I smiled. "Yeah. They work together." _Like me and Legolas, _I thought.

Sarah interrupted to take the last of her pictures, then she and Frodo left to get them developed. I put sandwich stuff out for the Fellowship, but for the most part we just sat around. Legolas did ask to talk to Cody outside. I wondered what was going on, but before I could get Merry and Pippin to spy for me, Aragorn addressed me. "Do not worry, Shelly. Neither of them will hurt the other, for they both care too much for you."

"Cody doesn't care for me. I've just known him a long time," I said.

"He may not love you as Legolas does, but he does care for you as a friend, and hates to see you hurting," Aragorn said.

"Thanks, Aragorn. I'm gonna miss you so much," I said, pulling him into a hug.

"I will miss you as well, little one," Aragorn said, lightly patting my back and stroking my hair. "I've grown to think of you as I would a daughter."

"Thank you. That means more than anything else you could ever do or say," I said, pulling out of the hug. "By the way, you'll make a great king. Just follow your heart," I told him.

"You're welcome, Shelly, and thank you. Your words mean much to me as well." he told me, then nodded toward someone behind me.

I turned and there stood the object of my affection. "What did you have to tell Cody?"

"I had to say good-bye," he said. He then proceeded to kiss me passionately. By the time we pulled apart, I'd forgotten what I asked.

Soon, Sarah came back with the pictures. I hate to admit it, but I was really glad that she took the one of Legolas and me kissing, even if I would have to keep it hidden forever. While Legolas and I were looking through my set, Mike told us they had an hour. Sarah and Frodo disappeared.

"Mellamin, let's go sit outside."

"Okay," I said, heading to the front porch. Once we were outside, he led me to the porch swing.

"Normally, two weeks of human measure go by very quickly for Elves, but no matter how many lifetimes I live, I'll never forget you or this time we've had together," Legolas said. "I know you have the pictures, but I wish to give you something to remember me." There's a ring that he had worn on his first finger the entire time he'd been in our world, and he pulled it off and placed it on my finger. "It's the ring given to the prince of Mirkwood. I am to give it to the one who holds my heart," he said, taking my hand in his. "And that would most definitely be you."

"I have something for you, too," I said, taking off the necklace I was wearing and putting my class ring on it. My ring had always been something that I treasured. It had the obvious year I graduated and my name, and a deep blue stone in the middle that reminded me of Legolas' eyes. "Here," I said, putting it around his neck. "This way, you can keep it hidden and no one will even know that you have it," I said, through sudden tears that sprang to my eyes.

"No, no tears," he said, pulling me to him.

Our lips met in a rush of emotion. I never wanted to pull apart from his lips, but eventually I had to breathe. We just sat there in silence for a few minutes, while I played with the ring Legolas had given me. It was swirly and scripty, almost like a wave. Suddenly, I remembered something I had barely thought about for two weeks. "The Ring!"

"What?" Legolas said, confused.

"When you first arrived, we took the Ring away from Frodo for safekeeping. I bet you he forgot." I ran inside and got Cody to go retrieve it.

By the time he got back, Sarah and Frodo were walking back to the house. As Frodo went to grab his pack off the porch, I handed the Ring to him discreetly. He smiled one of those innocent, beautiful smiles at me and gave me a hug. "I had forgotten this. That could have been disastrous," he said. "But then, I have a feeling you know that better than I do. G'bye, Shelly."

I hugged him. "Bye, Frodo. Be careful."

Just before the Fellowship was going to leave, Frodo and Legolas came over to Sarah and me. Legolas pulled me to him and we kissed with all the passion we had, neither of us ever wanting to let go. Then, he just held me for a minute. Finally, he went back to the Fellowship.

Only moments later they were gone. I knew I had to be strong for Sarah, but the second she was in the house, I collapsed on the grass, in tears. "No, it's not fair!"

Suddenly, I felt strong arms lift me up and carry me inside, and the soft beginnings of rain on my shoulders. I looked up to see Cody. "Legolas told me to tell you what we talked about this afternoon once he was gone," Cody said slowly, as if he, too was fighting tears. "Do you want to know?"

"Yes, please tell me," I said, calming slightly. _Anything he said, ever, I want to know, I want to hear, any last little thing to remember..._

"He asked me to take care of you, as a brother. He wants me to watch over you and try to help you be happy again in time," Cody said. "And I plan to be there for you. I promised and I won't break a promise."

"Thanks," I said, hugging him. "I just know that I have to be strong for Sarah. It's so hard, though, because I'm hurting too. I lost him, Cody. He's gone and I'll probably never see him again, ever." At that, I began to cry harder. The thought that I'd never see him again hurt worse than any physical wound I could ever have. Cody and Mike both stayed there and let me cry until I felt I had no tears left. "I don't know what I would've done without you two through all this," I said. "By the way, Mike, congratulations. It worked." I said, with a small smile. I knew Mike felt bad about making Sarah and me hurt. Despite his coming out on top and being the genius, he was still our friend, and only did what he did because he had to.

"Thanks, Shelly." Mike turned on the TV and we watched the news. He heated up some frozen pizza for dinner. I ate a few bites, but I didn't really taste it. It all stuck to my throat.

When I'm in pain, I work. It keeps my mind off of it until I hav time to think about it. I began picking up the clothes that the Fellowship had left behind and separating them, giving some to Cody and Mike and putting the rest in a box to take to Goodwill. As I was picking everything up, I realized how quiet it was. I would never hear Merry and Pippin's laughter again, or see Sam's funny little face, or hear Boromir and Aragorn arguing over who was the better swordsman. I'd never hear Gimli's fake mutterings about Legolas. _Legolas..._ I couldn't even think about him without pain. I began to see how lonely it would be with just Sarah and me for the next few days. Sooner or later she would have to go home, and then I would be on my own-and that would be like losing them all over again.

"Hey, Shelly, Mike and I were talking. Do you want us to stay here for a few more days? That way you won't be so alone."

I turned to my friend. "Thanks, Cody, I was just trying to think of what I would do without everyone. If you guys are around, it may be a bit easier...for me at least."

I fixed up my sister's room for the guys and headed off to bed soon afterwards. As I walked into my room, I noticed that Legolas had left "King Arthur" on my bed. As I picked it up, a paper fell out.

_Darling Shelly,_

_If you're reading this, then I really have gone. I just wanted to leave you a note, so you'd always have a reminder of me. I have asked Cody to watch over you and help you. I love you, mellamin. Never forget that. No matter how far apart we are, you will always have my heart. I will miss the others as well. Dearest, know that I will never forget you._

_Love always,_

_Legolas Greenleaf, Prince of Mirkwood. _

I clutched the paper to my chest and fell on my bed, which still smelled like him. I cried until I was lost in sleep.

The truth is, being awake was more like a nightmare anyway.

A/N:Okay, what did ya think? Please let me know. Angst is really hard for me to write so I encourage all constructive criticism. Thanks, oh and don't flame as they will merely be thrown into the fire I'm using to keep warm right now. Boy is it cold in my dorm room. Burr!


	46. Lost Somewhere In Time

DISCLAIMER: We do not own Lord of the Rings. If we did, there would have been more of those infamous "Leggy moments" like the Uruk shield and the Oliphaunt...

Authoress's Notes:  
SARAH: Hardcore angst ahead...and as always, we don't own any of the copyrighted stuffs. Here's hoping that someone else among our readership has seen/loved "Somewhere In Time."

Chapter Forty-Six-Lost "Somewhere In Time"  
Sarah POV

I don't know how long I slept, except that it was dark out. I went into the living room and Cody was on the floor, watching TV very quietly. I sat down on the couch, and Cody turned off the TV and came and sat next to me. "How are you?" he asked gently.

I sighed a very long sigh of frustration. "I wish I knew. Depths of despair seems like a pretty decent metaphor at the moment. Where's Shell?"

"In her room. I think maybe she's asleep."

I nodded. "So now what? We stressed and stressed about this for days and days and we knew it was coming but we never thought about what was supposed to come next."

Cody shrugged. "We'll be staying for a few days."

"Thanks." I hadn't relished the thought of being alone in the house with Shelly with both of us feeling as bad as we were. "I'll be right back." I went back in Shelly's parents' room and returned with my copy of the photos. I sat, looking through them, studying different ones by turn. Me and Frodo, me and Frodo, Frodo alone, me and Shelly and Mike and Cody...

I sighed and Cody patted my shoulder.

"It was a dream," I said, quoting Aragorn's line to Arwen.

"No, Sarah. Well, yes, in its own way I'm sure it was, but never forget that it was very real while it lasted."

I leaned back against the back of the couch and leaned my head back as far as I could, pointing my face to the ceiling. "That's a very pretty thought, Cody, but it doesn't make me feel one bit better. And don't ask if you can do anything. Save bringing him back to me, there's nothing you can do."

He nodded. "I figured."

I looked back at the pictures. "At least I have these. I'll always have these." I leaned against Cody's shoulder and he didn't stop me. "Have you ever seen the movie 'Somewhere In Time'?" I asked softly. Go me, even in the worst situation I can relate to a movie.

"I don't think so."

"I rather thought not, it was never as hugely popular as it deservd to be. Anyway, it's about this guy, he's at a party one night and this old woman randomly pops in, hands him an old-fashioned pocketwatch, and says, 'Come back to me.' Of course he doesn't have a clue what's going on, but like two years later he finds out who she was and what she looked like when she was his age back in 1912, and he falls in love with her photograph, so he figures out how to go back to 1912 and meets her and they totally fall in love. It's beautiful for its time, but the thing is he hypnotized himself back, and any reminder of present times will ruin it. So at the end of the movie he's digging in his pocket for change and finds a penny dated with his current year, so he remembers and he immediately goes back to his own time." I sighed.

"What happened after that? Did it show what happened to him?"

Immediately my voice got taut with unshed tears. "He...died! He died of a broken heart!"

Cody put his hand on my shoulder and patted it. "I don't think that will happen to you."

I sat up and looked over at him. "Don't you get it? I'd almost rather it did."

He nodded. "I know. Hey, are you hungry? Mike made pizza, I could heat some up for you."

I shook my head. "No thanks."

"I didn't think so."

"I don't know WHAT to think."

Cody shrugged. "Think of what you'd have given to have the experience compared to what you'd give to have the memories of it erased."

I looked up at him. That was a fresh thought. "Now there's an eye-opener and no mistake," I said, quoting Sam. "Good gravy, will I ever think of anything else?"

"Probably not," Cody said. "You might as well get used to that."

I nodded, rubbing my forehead. "I just never thought that...I don't know. I fell in love with Tolkien's words on Frodo before anything else, and then Elijah Wood's portrayal, and I guess there was this nagging thought in the back of my mind that even if I did ever actually meet Frodo-which, mind you, I never DREAMED would ACTUALLY happen-he wouldn't live up to my expectations. And he didn't."

Cody raised his eyebrow about as far as he physically could.

"He far exceeded them," I explained. "And I'll never find anyone like that again." I sighed. "By the way, thanks for staying. The house feels empty and quiet enough." I sighed. "I miss Frodo most, but I miss everyone and everything else, too. I miss folding out the hide-a-bed, I miss Merry and Pippin fighting to stay awake, I miss Boromir begging to leave the GameCube on for one more round of Bond, I miss everyone shielding their eyes when I wore my pajama shorts, I miss Legolas watching everyone with this little smirk because he didn't need sleep. And that's just what happened at this hour."

"I miss them, too," Cody agreed. "It was a lot of fun."

I finally looked at a clock. "It's late," I said. "Not late for me, but now I'm on everyone else's schedule. I'll be right back." I took the pictures and put them back with my stuff in Shelly's parents' room and came back with a blanket off the bed that was still thick with Frodo's scent. I settled into the armchair with it wrapped around me. "If you don't mind, I'd just as soon sleep here tonight," I said.

Cody nodded. "Good night then. Wake me up if you need anything."

"Thanks."

He left me alone to my thoguhts then, but I didn't dare think anything. It was too depressing.

When I woke the next morning, I was alone in the living room. I looked over and the other three were at the kitchen table, silently eating. I hated abandoning my dream, because of course, I had dreamed of nothing but him and being together again.

"You talk in your sleep," Mike informed me. Darn, now I couldn't go back to sleep.

"I'm not even going to ask what I said." I rose and made cereal for myself, then took a seat at the table, still wrapped in the blanket. "Now I miss Sam, too," I said. "He was always pleasant company in the kitchen."

Shelly looked over at me. "No good-morning kiss. No happy smile." She sighed, and I realized that she was still wrapped in her blanket, too.

I sighed, too, though with a bit more vehemence. "It's not fair," I finally said. "The whole thing. Just plain not fair. And if any of you says that life isn't fair and that's how it is, I will put my archery training to good use." I could make good on that, too, as we did do archery at camp and the bows and arrows had to be kept SOMEWHERE.

"You two are just going to have to deal with the fact that they're not here," Mike said.

I glared at him. "Look, Mike, we know they're gone and we know they're not coming back. That doesn't mean we suddenly have to be happy again."

"We might see them again," Shelly said, not hopefully, but like she was grasping at the edge of a cliff and knew her fingers were going to give out any second, but tried calling for help anyway.

I sighed. "Not likely."

Cody just sat silently throughout all this. It was almost like he wasn't sure who to side with, or was afraid of voicing whose side he was on for fear of the other side killing him. If that was the case, I hoped he was on our side.

I hung my head over my bowl. "It feels so quiet. So quiet and so empty. and I know I could make some noise, turn on the TV or music or something, but somehow it feels like that would desecrate everything." I pushed my bowl over to the guys' side of the table. "Here. You can eat this. I'm not hungry." I went back to my chair and sat in silence until they were done eating.

After that I made myself change clothes just for appearance's sake, and then we started cleaning the house. Cody helped me take the leaf back out of the table and put it away, me choking back tears the whole time. We all vacummed and dusted, normal stuff, and then we played at eating lunch. The guys ate, but me and Shelly just picked.

When that was done I looked into the box that had been sitting on the table all night and morning. "Oh...it's their clothes." I sighed, and was about to walk away, when something caught the corner of my eye. I started digging into the box and pulled out a green-and-black shirt.

"That was Frodo's," Shelly said, as if I hadn't known which ones were his.

"Yeah." I could feel the tears welling up in my eyes and choked them back for the moment. Crying didn't really do any good, it didn't make me feel any better. "This was what he was wearing the night he first told me he loved me. And on our date." I lifted it to my face to see if it still smelled like him, but it had been washed already. That was probably just as well-if it HAD smelled like him I never would have washed it again, and that would have been kind of gross, considering what I did next. I went into the bathroom for a minute and came out wearing the shirt.

The other three looked at me while I fingered the hemline. "I know it's a little bit big," I said, "But I really don't care. I'm keeping this one." Despite the memories, I didn't want to explain three new shirts, but on the other hand, I wanted something tangible besides the pictures.

Shelly nodded, wordlessly.

I actually liked the way it fit me. The cuffs came down aound my knuckles and since I didn't button the top button the collar fell loosely on my shoulders.

I took the shirt that I had been wearing and repacked it, and on a whim pulled out my Elven Brooch. I have a replica of the movie prop, but I had not worn it while the Fellowship was there because I had thought it would just get too complicated. I pinned it on, covering the highest button that I had buttoned, making it look like the pin was what held the shirt closed.

When I came back in the living room, the other three were sitting on the couches.

"Can we please just do SOMETHING?" Mike asked.

"Do you want to watch a movie?" Cody asked.

Shelly suddenly perked up ever so slightly. "Can we watch 'Fellowship' again?"

I tilted my head. At least I could look at him again, hear his lovely accent. Of course, I would know every word he was going to say before he said it, and the words would not be directed to me, and I couldn't touch him, but it was a tiny bit better than absolutely nothing. "Yeah, please?"

Mike rolled his eyes but got up and pulled the Fellowship Extended Edition off the shelf.

A/N: Review and we'll let you watch with us! (And yes, I really do own an Elven Brooch. Email me if you want the website, as apparently I can't put a link within the text here.) I just realized that the title of this chapter is made up of my favorite TV show and one of my favorite movies... -sniggle- And I miscalculated the other day. As of NOW there are FOUR chapters left. -counts on fingers to make sure she calculated correctly this time- Yeah. Four.


	47. Do You Remember?

DISCLAIMER:We don't own LOTR, if we did, I would own Legolas' knives.

Authoress's Notes:

SHELLY: Okay, so now, we're watching the Fellowship? Hmmm...pretty Legolas...Alright, read and review. Flames will merelybe used to burn cds. :)

Chapter Forty-Seven-Do You Remember?

Shelly POV

I don't know what made me wish to watch Fellowship again, but hearing their voices, seeing them, even if it was only actors pretending to be them, would be better than nothing at all. As I watched, I was able to turn my emotions off. It was just like watching it before the Fellowship arrived in our world, except now I actually knew the characters.

Then Legolas rode onto the screen, and immediately a pain shot through me. I knew that this wasn't my Legolas; this was Orlando Bloom, but it still hurt. If I looked closely, I could see differences in them now-Legolas' hair, for instance, was much shinier and well-kept than the wig Orlando wore. It was still a good likeness, though, and when I heard him speak, it was like hearing my Legolas speak to me again.

When we switched to the second disk, I noticed that Mike was sitting with Sarah on the loveseat and Cody was on the couch, while I was in the recliner. It felt comfortable, but not happy. I knew at that second, that while I would be able to be comfortable without Legolas, I'd never be really happy again. I mean, I had known that I would never love anyone else, but at that point I realized that I would never be the same carefree girl I was three weeks ago.

After Gandalf fell and the screen showed Frodo's face after Moria, I heard Sarah say something about them experiencing a double loss. My eyes, however, were drawn to Legolas. I noticed something I had never noticed before-he wore a necklace, but it was kept hidden beneath his tunic. I wondered if it had always been there and I had simply never noticed, or if something had changed. I'll never know.

When they entered Lórien, I imagined what Legolas would be doing during the three weeks they were there. I let my daydream play out in my mind, when suddenly, I realized I had missed the end of the movie.

"Anyone want something to eat or drink?" I asked, as I got up.

"No, I think we're good," I heard Mike say. "What do you want to do now?"

"Watch the next one," was Sarah's immediate reply. Needless to say, we started watching The Two Towers. When Legolas slid down the stairs at Helm's Deep, I laughed a little. It wasn't loud and it wasn't completely whole-hearted, but it was a laugh.

Cody looked over and grinned. "I think you'll make it, Shelly," he said.

"I don't know," I said, quietly. "I have decided, though, that I'm going to think of Legolas and smile, not cry."

Cody arched his eyebrow the same way Legolas used to do when I'd said something crazy.

"Well, maybe I'll cry a little," I said, tears springing to my eyes.

"You should, Shelly. You know it's not good for you to keep it all bottled up inside." Cody said quietly, trying not to disturb Mike and Sarah. "If you need to talk, you know I'm here for you."

"Yeah, you are being so great to Sarah and I. Really, you should be saying 'I told you so,'" I said.

"True, but that wouldn't help you any, would it?" Cody said, smiling lightly. "Besides, I miss them too. I'll never play video games again without thinking of them."

We turned our attention back to the movie just as Merry and Pippin found the food at Isengard. "That is so like them," Mike said, sounding a little teary himself.

Once that movie was over, we had some ice cream. "Do you remember the first time we gave this to Merry and Pippin?" I asked Sarah.

"How could I forget? I thought they would go nuts," Sarah said, with a hint of a smile on her face. "Do you remember the other time we gave them ice cream?"

"Yeah, they came on the back porch singing a song that CODY taught them," I said, turning a mock glare at Cody, who, of course, had not heard the story. Sarah and I told him what had happened with Merry and Pippin that night and how they'd interrupted Legolas and I so many times. Needless to say, the guys found it absolutely hilarious.

"Sarah, did I ever tell you about when I gave them pop the first time?" I asked.

"No, what happened?" Sarah said, and I told them about the other escapades the two hobbits pulled. However, in the back of my mind, I was thinking, _If only Legolas were here._

When we were done, we headed off to bed. While it wasn't easy to sleep in my bed without Legolas, I knew that as long as I had the memories, I would have a part of him.

I didn't sleep very well that night, because I kept dreaming that Legolas was in the room, but just out of my reach. I'd reach for him and he'd be farther back. Finally, I reached the edge and toppled off of my bed. I looked at the clock and it was only three in the morning.

I smiled as I thought of the last time I'd woken at that time-it had been when I had told Legolas I loved him. Tears sprang to my eyes when I thought of that night. We had talked about everything, including my past in the area of love.

_Flashback_

_"So," Legolas had asked, "have you ever loved anyone else?"_

_"No," I'd answered, "I haven't, but I have said it to a guy."_

_"Did you mean it?" he asked, taking the end of my hair into his hands._

_"At the time, I thought I did. If you had asked me a week ago, I would have told you that I did, but what I felt for him dims in comparison to what I feel for you," I said._

_"What DO you feel for me?" Legolas asked teasingly, although I'd already told him the answer several times that night._

_"I love you with every part of me. I think I've loved you ever since the moment you appeared in front of me," I said, passionately._

_"Who was the man you professed your love to?" Legolas asked._

_"His name was Shawn. He had black hair and clear blue eyes, not quite as blue as Frodo's, but still lovely. He and I had known each other for a few years, but we'd never been romantic up until a few months ago. He asked me to the movies and I had said yes. We only went out a handful of times, but then I caught him with one of my friends. At least she had been my friend," I'd explained, trying to dismiss it as history. The truth was, he'd hurt me and Legolas was the first guy besides Cody and Mike that I'd really trusted since._

_"Were there any others?"_

_"Not unless you count the boyfriend I had when I was four," I said, laughing. "How about you? How many girls has Legolas courted?"_

_"You are the first one I've ever proclaimed my love to," he said. "You will be the only one as well."_

_End Flashback_

Wow. Had it only been a little over a month since I had dumped Shawn? I never loved Shawn, he was just a cute guy that I thought I might love someday. Every second I was with Legolas I was happy. Shawn was always jealous of my guy friends, but Legolas always understood. The sad part was, I had wanted Shawn back until Legolas came along. Sarah didn't know much about him, since I hadn't seen her much in the previous few months and Shawn had been a school acquaintance.

I looked at the clock. It was only three-thirty, so I opened up The Fellowship book to the Lothlórien chapters and began reading.

The next morning, I woke to find that my book was neatly closed and my covers were back over me, since I'd thrown them off when I'd woken up in the night. I put my robe on and went out to see what the others were doing.

"Good morning, Shelly."

I looked up to see Cody.

"How are you feeling?"

"No worse, but no better either." I said.

Once I had drifted back to sleep, I had dreamt of Legolas walking around Lothlórien, but he was always fingering the necklace beneath his tunic. I had dreamt of him thinking of me while he was hunting for Merry and Pippin and again while waiting for the battle at Helm's Deep. I knew he missed me as much as I missed him.

"I saw your light on this morning, so I went in and took the book and covered you up," Cody said. "I knew Legolas would want it that way."

I smiled at him, unshed tears shining in my eyes. "Thanks, Cody. I think you're right." I paused, thinking. "He would want me to take care of myself, wouldn't he?"

"Yes, I believe he would," Mike said from behind me.

"Fine," I said, with resolution in my voice. "I'm making breakfast. What do you boys want?" They wanted eggs and bacon and stuff, so I actually made a pretty decent breakfast.

When Sarah got up, she immediately asked, "Do you care if we watch the Return of the King?" almost as if she wanted to make sure it ended the same way as before.

"I don't mind," I said. The guys agreed and soon we were watching the movie. Once again, when Legolas slid down the oliphaunt's trunk, I began to let my mind wander. Suddenly, the movie was to the part where Aragorn is crowned King. I watched Legolas smile happily at Aragorn and my breath caught in my throat. I missed Aragorn almost as much as I missed Legolas. No one picked on me quite like he did.

After they returned to the Shire and Sam married Rosie, when Frodo begain talking about picking up the threads of an old life, Sarah got up. "I thought I could watch it, Shelly, but I can't. I can't watch him leave Middle-Earth again," she said, leaving the room. Mike followed her.

I wasn't really surprised-even before the Fellowship came, Sarah had never liked that part. She'd never even really accepted it in the books, and she'd told me once that when she watched "Return of the King" alone, she muted the TV from the part where Gandalf says "It is time, Frodo," to where the screen fades to white and then shows Sam and Rosie. I almost smiled, remembering her say that she wouldn't even do that except that the suit Frodo wore in that scene made him look particularly good.

Once the movie was over, Cody made lunch. Granted, he only took out sandwich stuff, but still, it was kind of him. "Shelly, are you still going to go to the river with Anne tonight?" Cody asked.

At first, I was confused. Suddenly, I remembered Anne inviting me. "I don't know, Cody. Why?" I asked.

"I was going to offer to drive you."

"Thanks. I don't know if I'm ready though." Suddenly, as luck would have it, the phone rang. I immediately walked over and picked it up. "Hello?"

"Hey, Shelly," the voice said, "It's Anne."

"What's up?"

"Are you still coming to the river?"

"I don't know. Remember those guys you met?"

"Yeah," Anne answered.

"They left on Wednesday, and I was kinda involved with one of them," I said.

"Of course you were. I'm not blind. I saw the way he was looking at you," Anne said. I smiled softly, glad to know it was obvious. "But, it's not good for you to stay in that house alone. Come on down. There won't be very many people there with us."

"Fine, where is it?"

"Blue Hole."

My blood froze. I couldn't go there, not without him. I got off the phone with Anne, still trying to decide if I could face that place without Legolas by my side.

Cody tried to encourage me. "Shelly, you need to go. If nothing else, it will take your mind off of it."

"I'll only go if Sarah will," I finally said, thinking Sarah would never go. However, I was surprised when, after Cody asked her, she agreed to go.

We changed into our swimsuits and headed down. They were going to barbecue and swim, and Anne had told me not to bring anything. Once we got there, we saw a ton of people already on the bank of the river.

"Cody, I'm not so sure about this. Why don't we just go back to the house? We'll try another time," I said, trying to get back into his car.

"No, Shelly, we have to stay," Cody said, firmly.

I quickly found Anne and we talked for a while.She told me about her plans for college and of course, we gossiped about some of the couples in our class.

A couple of my guys friends wandered over to us, obviously drunk and started hitting on me. By then we'd been there over an hour, soI was more than ready to go, but as I was looking for Cody, I felt a tap on my shoulder.

I turned and came face to face with none other than my ex, Shawn.

A/N:Okay, whaddya think is gonna happen? What does he want? Tune in again, same bat time, same bat channel. Okay, only kidding. Just read and review. Shelly only has one more chapter after this one. Sad that this story is coming to an end, isn't it. I want to say thanks to all our reviewers. You guys have absolutely made my day sometimes. Hugs and kisses (only Hershey's though. :)


	48. The Threads of An Old Life

DISCLAIMER: We do not own Lord of the Rings. If we did, the movies would have been released much closer together.

Authoress's Notes:  
SARAH: REVIEW RESPONSES! Scroll down to the end for real notes.

**Kat1280** - Yeah...the thing with Mike and Frodo wasn't nice, but it wasn't intentional, either. And personally I didn't mind being there. - Yeah, the dates were fun to write. Oh yes, me and Shelly have it all figured out. No worries. And I don't blame you a bit for liking Frodo more, it was just that all the reviews were talking about me and him... Yes! LOST rocks! Do you watch it, too? No, we don't NEED the pictures...but admit it - wouldn't you WANT the pictures? Can you not just imagine Legolas' face just draining itself of all color with him looking at a slash fic? Hehe... Yay! Another Princess Bride fan! When I first saw it I thought I was the only one who liked it, and then that summer at camp I found out it had this HUGE following, lol. Yeah, we miss 'em, too. - sniffle, sniffle - You may be at a loss now, but hang on. It ain't over 'til the fat lady sings! "Somewhere In Time" is one of my favorite movies, sad or no. (As is "City of Angels." Don't know why I was compelled to mention that.)  
**Jousting Elf with a Sabre** - Finish school at SIXTEEN? Lucky you! I was homeschooled and I was STILL in school until I was 18! Nope, never dated, though not by choice. Gah. (The story of my past relationships as told to Frodo waaaaay back there was pretty much true.) Yeah! PotC rocks! I just bought the Lost Disc edition meself... Hehe. Stonehenge and the wind, that's funny...Homeschooled? SO WAS I! YOU ROCK! I'm in "public" college now, but I was homeschooled K-12! - hands tissues - Here. You can cry. It makes me feel like I'm doing a good job. And don't worry about the paparazzi, I'm sure you look fine. Oh yeah, we feel it, ocean or no! Nope, 44 is not the end... Hehe, Shelly says thanks for all the warm-up stuff and for the kind words on her angst, laughed at the bacon (inside joke with the real Mike, lol) and I find it ironic that you don't need that stuff yourself, you being the one in RUSSIA, lol... Glad you still like it even through the depressing part. Hehehehe! Yeah, never liked the Grey Havens, that rant is absolutely my IRL opinion. And yes, showing more Sam with more kids would've been nice. Having little Elanor run from her dad into Frodo's arms would've been nicer. - has a photomanip to that effect on her computer, decides to put it on the group - And YES! I've been asking about the blooper reel for years! There's a rumor that PJ is planning another disc or two of just LotR extras, which should include a blooper reel... Um. Nope, never heard of Jericho Road. What do they sing? Oh, it's okay! - more tissues - Cry. Really. Don't bottle it up, it's bad for your health.  
**Laer4572** - Hon, we need them back or we can't give YOU any more updates. - taps foot impatiently - I will make a note about the Reddi Whip, though... OMG! Shelly said to tell you that "The Quiet Man" is one of her all-time-favorite old movies! She probably would've used that if she'd thought of it in time. (Well...there's always...later. Lol.) And yes, she is rather bold, isn't she. The flowers are done? YAY! (Hope they last until the wedding...) - wait, was that a spoiler?...nah - Why THREE cakes? There's two of us. (I emailed you about that, did you ever get it?) Happy ending, eh? Well, you haven't got long to wait...you know, I'm not sure HOW you'd classify the ending...happy? Well...depends on your definition...you'll see. All in due time. YAY! Merry and Pippin like our fic! - wonders if that shall remain true...loves knowing this stuff ahead of time - Do you think we DID want them to go? No way! It just had to be that way. Of course there's pics of us together. Are you insane? Did you think I'd forget? It's not over yet... Yes, I dooo love "The Princess Bride"...Lol! I love that we brought out the hopeless romantic in you! Thanks for saying that! Thanks for thinking we deserve a happy ending, and thanks for crying, that makes me think I'm writing well. What do you mean you don't like this ending? IT'S NOT OVER YET! (And how is you wanting US to be happy selfish?) Squee! Another "Somewhere In Time" fan! Isn't it great? Tell Shelly she needs to watch it with me. Hehe, you DO have a one-track mind. Lol...but being a sap is a good thing, this story would have gone nowhere if Shelly and I weren't saps. Hey, you SO do not know how it's going to end. - sing-songs to self..."nobody sees it com-ing, nobody sees it com-ing..." -  
**IwishChan** - Oh yes. There is much evil in store yet for Cody. Always. Of course the camera was a good idea, it was MY idea...lol. GOING crazy with the pics? Hon, I'm just plain crazy as is...nope, we're not giving them to the guys, but I think we made up for it...Umm...if my scanner ever fixes itself and I can get two or three hours to sit, you MIGHT see that drawing someday. YES, they're leaving, we said that from day one...and yeah, we miss 'em, too... Ah! I see SOMEONE picked up on the "Three Rings" chapter title. I miss 'em, too. - long sigh - As to your question on 45 - keep reading! You know what? The pansy plant kind of faded into oblivion after the weekend at my house, didn't it? - wonders if that could be fixed and is surprised anyone besides herself noticed - Yeah, it was a nice flashback. We couldn't let you go TOTALLY without any Fellowship, lol. Wow, the first of several strong negative reactions to Shawn! Geez, I almost feel sorry for him...and he hasn't even SAID anything yet!  
**Jedi Knight Bus** - Thanks! SQUEE! Isn't The Princess Bride the greatest? It's one of my faves, after LotR. The angst is coming on stronger, don't worry... Boo? BOO? Don't say that, it's not over yet! But yes, they're gone...  
**frodofreak88** - Yay! You're back! Hey, let Murazor alone, we'll do just fine. You'll see. No worries! Well...we're updating. Just go along with it, you'll see.  
**Carrie** - You laughed and cried? YAY! We're doing our job! Gift? If you mean what I bought at Wal-Mart you already know. Updates, lol, everyone wants updates... You cried? Thanks! And yes, they are really gone! It did hit kind of hard...I knew it was coming the whole time we were writing and it still felt so sudden. The ring? I don't know, ask Shelly. I think she may describe it later. - makes note for Shelly -  
**Rie** - WE LOVE LOST! Actually...no...we're OBSESSED with Lost to an almost unhealthy level. Shelly and I always call each other and talk about it EVERY WEDNESDAY, once it's over - but the night Charlie almost got hung (well, you know) she actually called during the commercial to make sure - I - was still breathing! One of our best friends? One of our most faithful reviewers, THAT's for sure! AWW! That's such a sweet story! (About your prom guy, I mean.) Wow. Best of luck to you both! Lol, who DOESN'T want an Elf romance? (Except those of us who want Hobbit romances?) You think YOU'LL have free time when this story is over? Lol, think of me and Shelly! I know - me and Shelly decided to watch "The Princess Bride" here in the story and then we were all, "How did we not think of this WAAAAAY back in, like, chapter 25?" Lol. Yeah, we thought it fit nicely. How could we let them go without huggles for Sam and Merry and Pippin and everyone? We couldn't forget them! You cried, too? Wow, everyone has cried...I THINK that's a good thing! laughs insanely at Ben and Jerry's remark - No, probably not, not even if it was Brownie Batter flavored. And even if it would help, I doubt I could afford as much as I'd need. I had a little tiny bit of that stuff once, it was like 2.50 for a little tiny cup...though it WAS in an international airport, but still... Yes, they're gone.  
**The Hobbit Waffle** - AGAIN! AGAIN you change your name on me! Gah! You know...if you keep up the grafitti, you won't have much room left. - hopes "Frodo Lives" is now on the inside of her stomach - They ALL bring us closer to the end, love. The crying is high praise indeed, I love hearing that we can evoke that level of emotion, but what the heck is bibble? Or do I wanna know? I washed the shirt in-story just because of the disgustingness of it never getting washed again. But I know what you mean. I would feel so much happier if my mom would use the same kind of laundry detergent as Kat's family up in Canada, because then I could smell that again. How go-eth the hug count? Have one more! - huggles Hobbity -  
**Legolas's Girl 9** - Shelly says back off, Legolas is hers. - Yay! I'm not the only dateless one. - I can't tell you they'll come back, even if that WAS the case it would spoil the surprises! We've both read the appendices. (Or at least I have and Shelly's read most of them, I THINK she's read all of them.) I read the books before seeing the movies, Shelly saw Fellowship when it came out, then read them. My favorite color is purple, I think Shelly's is blue. Most furious bunny? Definitely the one on Monty Python and the Holy Grail! (We love that movie!) OOOH. "From This Moment On" is a REALLY good song. (I have it on CD somewhere...) Yes, Princess Bride ROCKS! We made YOU cry, too? Yay! (Well...you know what I mean, right?) Ummm...no, they're definitely not going to pop out of the TV. That's not how it worked the first time, if they show up again it'll be the same way...  
**AliciaF** - You rock, my sister is named Alicia. As you know by now, they've left. We never clarified about the Ring's powers simply because within out story, our characters did not know and had no way to test it. The thing with just the Fellowship coming - do you really think we could handle any more characters? Lol. Theoretically, other characters COULD, but other than meeting us because of anything the Fellowship may say about us, no one back then would WANT to. Even the Fellowship didn't WANT to, but they're glad they did.  
**Luthien Oronar** - Thanks! I was thrilled to have fans, and now it turns out we had more than I thought because we had lurkers! Yeah, I don't want them to split up, either. It sucks. And yeah...keeping it clean wasn't that hard, it was something Shelly and I took for granted from the beginning. That makes it easier. But we are serious about ending it soon - at chapter 50. There's no point in carrying it on further than that. YES! They are gone! Keep reading, though!And ouch! - hands Luthien an ice pack for the goose egg she's sure to get from the desk - If it'll make you feel better, you should like what's coming up next...not this chapter but next. Not much happens in this one... Hey, don't be depressed, it ain't over 'til the fat lady sings! - laughs - OOH! I SO never thoguht of going back to ME using the "Somewhere In Time" method, I was so focused on the reverse connection of them going back to their time/place. Tell Shelly it's a good movie and she needs to watch it with me. But yes. I would be smart enough not to carry pennies in my pockets. Hehehe, you don't like Shawn either...nobody likes Shawn, apparently...  
**Snowfire the Kitsune** - I've read The Princess Bride, Shelly hasn't. (You DO realize that William Goldman IS S. Morgenstern, right? All that stuff about "I cut this" or whatever is totally made up. Don't feel bad, took me a week or so to figure it out myself.) But yes, I LOVE the book. Tell Shelly she oughta read it, because I can't get her to...  
**Faeruvan** - Actually, the "odd" formatting was intentional, I prefer it that way, but I was too lazy to fix it for every chapter, lol. Thanks!  
**Shilly** - WOW! Apparently you just found us! Thanks for all the reviews. I'm going to try to answer all the questions, but still keep this short, okay? We HAD to take the Ring out of the picture, this got complicated enough without THAT to worry about. Um, yeah, Shelly's gone off to college now. But the part about me going to St. Louis? No, not yet. Hopefully sooner or later! Mmm...no fireplace at Shelly's house. (We should have added one in, Shell!) OMG! I adore Elijah Wood! Really, I like him better than Orli. Aragorn's not AGAINST cleanliness, he just doesn't have much opportunity wandering the wilds. He's got a shower now so he has to stay clean. Yeah, shopping was fun, Frodo is gorgeous, true, true... Swimming and karaoke? We read your mind. And video games, too! Lol... Sleep deprived? What do you think we are when we write? - Meh...my RL drawing is not how I described it in the story, you'd have to go on the group to see my real stuff...but HEY! Word and music talent is a good thing. I have drawing and words but very little musical talent. Pip isn't really hot, he's cute...Billy Boyd on the other hand... Yeah, thanks, I was pretty proud of the last line of 24 myself, thanks for noticing. You know, I wish I had a love life, too. Unfortunately THAT part of the fic is total fantasy. Hehe, Gimli's singing is ALL SHELLY'S FAULT, I had no input on that...but then, I let her keep it because it cracked ME up so bad. OOOH! Aragorn DIDN'T sing, I'd forgotten! - makes mental note - Yeah, PotC 2 is coming out next summer...2006! GAH! TOO...LONG...Fairy-tale ending? Well, what else would you have on a fairy tale? Take it from one who knows the real Mike...he never helps. Yes. Wall-staring is fun if you have an LotR wall. Yesh, "Ain't It Funny" is a lovely song; one of my favorites now that I've connected it with this story, lol. The Calcium Kid is really good - just know that a lot of the characters (not Orli's, though! Yay!) swear a lot. HOW alike are we to our characters? Mmm...our last names are different, but I'd say probably 95 of the rest is true to us. (The whole thing of my past relationships as told to Frodo is completely true.) Other than the whole Fellowship thing, it's pretty much grounded in reality. Shelly appreciates someone appreciating the whole braiding-her-hair thing. Wow, the stargazing was one of those random things that pretty much popped up while I was in the midst of writing it, thanks... Yup. They're gone. Awww, I can sympathize with having a best friend live far away. Like the story said, mine really did up and marry a Canadian, so now we're way far apart, two time zones even... Glad you like the angst! Hehe, my Elven Brooch is a real replica of the movie prop (yeah, I used a lot of Christmas money, I'm not normally that rich). It'd be cool to have an all-silver one, though...it'd match more stuff, that's for sure. I spent six months hunting down silver-and-green (NOT gold-and-green!) earrings to match it since I couldn't afford the REAL matching ones. And another vote against Shawn! Wow, no one likes him... Yeah. The Grey Havens thing was my real opinion long before the movies came out, that wasn't my character ranting so much as me putting my longtime rant in writing, lol. Enjoy your Hershey's!  
**irishelf** - I refuse to answer your question on the grounds that I might incriminate myself. But thanks for the kind words! Yes, they're really gone.  
**Libby** - Thanks! 1) 50 chapters. 2) Mayyyybe...maybe not. Keep reading, we're almost there! 3) There will not be a "Detour to Destiny 2," but Shelly and I have been collaborating on other stuff along very similar lines, so keep watching our account, okay? (I wish everyone would number their questions like you did, it feels like the letters page from the Sonic the Hedgehog comics...)  
**Annamariah** - You're new! Thanks for reading, and for the review!  
**Neeritai** - You're new, too! Only to chapter 16? Wow, I hope you catch up soon - we're almost to the end! - giggles at Oliver Twist quote (Were you aware that Elijah Wood's in a movie of that?) - Yes. You MAY have some more. Here it is. Me and Shelly together DON'T have anything else written, but we each have our own individual accounts, we're on our favortie authors list. - I'm flattered that you want to read it! I only wish I had more LotR stuff up! Yay, you cried, too! That really is a very high compliment. "Played at eating lunch" came from having been there - when I'm upset I don't take much on my plate and just kind of push it around...you know. And that would definitely apply here. (You wouldn't know it to look at me, but I really don't eat that much to begin with...not that this it relevant in any way, lol, sorry for rambling...) And yeah, cliffhangers are a bit evil, but we really haven't used that many... You won't be waiting long. The end is near. -  
**Mortal Evenstar** - Wow, the shock of the Fellowship leaving has made a lot of lurkers come forth! (Maybe they should've left sooner...Naaaah!) Thanks for reviewing, that was really sweet!  
**Lily Took** - Thanks, thanks, thanks! That was a sweet review! Nice that you're still hoping for a happy ending, a lot of people seem to have given up on us there...

Lol. Six of you felt the need to inform that they ARE really gone, (trust me, Shelly and I KNOW!)and three of you are saying Shawn is bad news...poor guy hasn't even SPOKEN yet, geez... Keep on reading.

Chapter Forty-Eight - The Threads of an Old Life  
Sarah POV

I wasn't sure what watching the movie again would be like now. I imagined it would hurt, but I didn't know how much.

I settled onto the loveseat and Mike sat beside me, between me and the recliner where Shelly was sitting. Cody had the whole couch to himself and sprawled out across it, surprising me by not cracking a joke about there being some room in the house.

I was fine throughout the prologue. Pretty, powerful Rings. Men, Elves, and Orcs killing each other. When chance came it ensnared a new bearer.

Whatever.

Seeing Bilbo and Gandlaf didn't even do that much for me.

But when the camera came in on Frodo reading a book, I couldn't help myself. I felt myself tearing up. I didn't cry.

Until he talked.

_Poor Shelly, she has an hour to go before she sees HER man and breaks down._ In a way it was sarcasm but in another way it was true - I did get to see a lot more of Frodo than she would of Legolas.

I managed to keep most of my grief internalized - I wasn't sobbing, but I did wipe my eyes a lot. For the most part I felt the same emotions I always had as a fangirl (cringing when Frodo gets stabbed at Weathertop, jealousy of Arwen in the next few scenes, pity for Frodo when he realizes that he is the only one who can take the Ring), only intensified ten times over, and throughout them all was mixed the strongest sense of loss I'd ever felt.

When it got to the scene where the Fellowship climbs Carhadras and Boromir is tempted by the Ring, I finally felt something out of the ordinary. Usually seeing Boromir ruffle Frodo's hair irritated me to no end - but this time I pitied him. I knew that deep inside he really was struggling with his own demons, it wasn't like he was "really evil at heart," to quote Faramir.

At heart, he was a sweet and funny guy who could make me smile with the smallest, most random things.

I had been sitting with my knees curled up to my chest, and at last I let my head sink against my knees and cried openly.

"You okay?" Mike asked softly.

I looked up. "Not really." Had things been different, I would have talked to Shelly, but she had her own problems. We were both suffering, no need for me to make hers worse. I decided to confide in Mike, just a little. "I won't ever be," I said. "I mean...I'll have a new okay. I won't ever be the same."

He nodded, and I turned my eyes back to the movie. It bugged me a little to see the Watcher in the Water grab Frodo, but I managed to just watch until Gandalf fell fighting the Balrog. The look on my love's (well, close enough) face at that moment agonized me, but still I watched in silence.

It wasn't until they were just outside Moria that I realized something.

Everyone was crying (except Legolas), and it hit me. I turned to Mike, half-excited. "Do you know why they're so upset? It's not just Gandalf - it's a double loss for them. This scene is where they just lost US." I turned back to the screen just in time to see the shot cut to Frodo and I stared into his baby blues, full to the brim with emotion.

On one of the commentaries or interviews somewhere, someone said that Peter Jackson told Elijah Wood that he wanted the look on Frodo's face in that scene to scare the audience, because of the depth of emotion. It had always worked on me, even before I knew that.

But this time it nearly killed me.

"He's thinking of you more than Gandalf," Mike told me quietly. "You can see it in his eyes."

The shot cut away and I looked over at Mike. That was so uncharacteristic for him to say. "Thanks," I whispered.

I watched the rest of it with little to say, and after Lothlórien I wondered if the story would really pan out the way it did in the movie.

At the end, when Frodo turns to Sam and says, "I'm glad you're with me," I couldn't help but envy Sam. I would gladly trade places with Sam - Mordor and all - just to be with my love.

Assuming it turned out all right, anyway. If I had to battle the orcs at Cirith Ungol, the ending might not come out so well.

I wondered how Frodo was ever going to finish his Quest with not only the weight of the Ring on his mind, but the loss of me as well. I decided not to mention it, though, because no one save Frodo himself could comfort me from my thoughts on the matter.

We watched the second movie, but nothing really affected me except that I mentioned to Mike that it would have been nice to find out once and for all if Faramir was more like the book or movie version. I wanted to believe he was like the books.

After the movie we had ice cream, and after that we went to bed. I took the blanket that still smelled of Frodo and curled up on the couch. I couldn't stand the thought of sleeping in the waterbed alone - the memories were too many and too singular. It wasn't like there were other times I'd slept in a waterbed to think about. I would have gone back in Shelly's room and shared the bed with her, but I just knew that if we went back to that, one of us would think that the other was Frodo or Legolas respectively, with obvious consequences.

In the morning I woke to the sounds of Shelly cooking. I kept my eyes closed and laid on the couch for a long while, musing, though I don't remember what I was thinking of. At last I got up and asked if we could watch the third movie.

The seating arrangements were the same as the day before, and for once Mike didn't complain if I whimpered every time Frodo suffered. I think he finally understood why it affected me, now that he knew Frodo for himself.

I cried openly, but smiled, when the happy ending came. "You bow to no one," the TV Aragorn said, and I felt really happy for my love - though I thought I detected the slightest bit of loss in his smile. When he turned his face to look over the crowd, I couldn't help but think he was looking for me. _Snap out of it, girl. This isn't really him, it's Elijah Wood doing a very good acting job. You really DO have an overactive imagination._

I smiled as Merry, Pippin, and Frodo reacted to Sam leaving the table for Rosie at the Gren Dragon. I was happy for Sam - not only had he found his true love, but he got to be with her. I cried with happiness at the wedding scene - but after that, it started to really get to me. I had never, ever, ever, liked the idea that Frodo sailed over the Sea after the quest (or at least, so soon after the quest), especially since less than a month after reading the books I read another book by Tolkien which contained a poem that (by my interpretation) implied that the Grey Havens were not all they were cracked up to be. I had almost been hoping that it would be one of the things where the movies diverged from the books because I hadn't wanted to watch it.

Before I knew it, Frodo was speaking.

"How do you pick up the threads of an old life? How do you go on, when in your heart you begin to understand there is no going back? There are some things that time cannot mend, some hurts that go too deep, that have taken hold."

Suddenly it hit me. I couldn't watch any more. I got up, giving some small explanation to Shelly, but it was Mike that followed me out onto the porch.

"Sarah?"

I was hugging my arms to myself, and I was crying, making my way to the other end of the porch. "Did you hear him, Mike? I never really listened to that before, I never wanted to believe it, because I didn't want him to suffer. I wanted him to enjoy, and to be, and to do, just like what he wanted for Sam. I always thought that if he had stayed, sooner or later he would have realized that two days of pain in a year is nothing compared to the 363 good ones, and he'd be happy again. But today for the first time I really heard what he was saying. We talked a few times about perhaps not seeing each other again until the afterlife, so now I can't help but wonder if it's his love for me, his longing for me that drove him to go over the Sea so soon. The one thing I hated and I may have caused it." I sat in the swing and leaned over, clasping my hands behind my head. Mike sat next to me and let me go on ranting. "And the one thing he said that I never believed, that I never thought was true, resonated with me so well." I lifted my tear-stained face to meet Mike's gaze. "There is no going back. All that stuff was true."

Mike took a moment to gather his thoughts before speaking. "Sarah...you know I only did it to save their world, right?"

I nodded, wiping my eyes.

"I'm sorry."

I looked away from him, not answering, so he continued.

"I know he wants you to go on, Sarah. There may be no going back for him but there is for you. You're going to go to college and get your education and build a life for yourself."

"Myself, yes." I couldn't help but think what a hollow life it would be, alone. "I don't even care anymore. Having a successful career used to be my top priority and now I don't really care. All I want is to be with him. I'd do anything, Mike."

Mike took that in and nodded. "I know." He paused before changing the subject. "Come on. I think it's over now. Let's go in and eat."

I made myself half a sandwich by folding one piece of bread over. After lunch Shelly got a call from one of her friends and it turned out we were invited to some kind of party. Shelly said she'd only go if I wanted to go, and I thought she probably just didn't want to leave me alone, so I agreed to tag along. I wasn't looking to have a good time but it would get me out of her house for a while, and maybe it would do me good to start unattaching myself from it.

The party was at Blue Hole, so we changed into our swimsuits and all rode out in Cody's car.

"This is so weird," I pointed out. "We all fit in one car."

Shelly sighed.

There really wasn't much to do at the party if you didn't swim, especially if you didn't have a date, so I was kind of out of luck. Shelly went to talk to her friend, and since I didn't know her and the two got started talking about other people I didn't know, I got bored quickly. After trying to keep up for a while and failing miserably, I made my way over to a group of teenagers sitting a little ways away.

"You want a drink?" a short blonde girl asked me.

Luckily I was picky about what sodas I liked, because my reflex response is, "What have you got?"

"Budweiser and Coor's," she said.

"No thanks," I replied. Good thing I hadn't automatically said yes! I thought maybe I should hunt down one of my friends - I didn't know anyone besides Shelly, Cody, and Mike, since all these people were their school friends.

"Hey, Sarah!"

I turned and was face-to-chest with one of the tallest people I'd ever met, a guy who graduated with Shelly and had been to camp a few times. He tripped over his own two feet a few times on his way over to me. "Um, hi, Josh," I said. He had a beer can in his hand and I didn't think it was the first he'd held that night - and it wasn't even that late!

"What are you doing here? Is Shelly here?"

I didn't answer, but I didn't deny and there was no other reason I would have been there.

"Hey, guys, Shelly's here!" Josh announced.

This caused enough of a stir that I was suddenly unnoticed. _Yeah, it's definitely time to hunt down one of the guys,_ I thought. _This is no fun, anyway - it just makes me miss Frodo and Sam and - _

"Did you say Shelly Brown is here?" some dark-haired guy asked. "I wanna talk to her."

I made my way down to the water's edge and found Mike.

"I'm ready to leave," I told him. "I don't know anyone and there's beer here and this really is not my kind of thing, and I'd just as soon go before Josh and the others get any more tipsy."

He nodded. "Yeah, it's not Shelly's either. It's been over an hour. We should probably go before things get - oh, crap!"

I followed his eyeline. Shelly was talking with the dark-haired guy.

"Oh, he said he wanted to talk to her. I wouldn't worry, cute as he may be, she won't be interested in anyone." I probably wouldn't have thrown in the "cute" part except I do have a weakness for the combination of dark hair and blue eyes - like Frodo's.

Mike stared at me. "That's Shawn."

My eyes widened. I'd heard PLENTY about Shawn. Shelly and I had spent hours on the phone over him. "What do you suppose he wants?"

A/N: Yeah, I know, we got nowhere as far as plot was concerned...and yet STILL managed a cliffie! Dun dun dun...But at least now you all know that Mike is not a heartless, rotten jerk, right? Tune in next chapter for the REAL story on Shawn - poor guy, all you reviewers seem to hate him and he has yet to SPEAK! Review and I'll bake brownies for everyone.


	49. Detour to Destiny

DISCLAIMER:We don't own LOTR, if we did we would have been in it. :)

Authoress's Notes:

SHELLY:Well, this is my last chapter on this story. It's kind of sad to see thatit's actually ending. I hope you all have enjoyed it. Lots of love and hugs to you all. Thank you to all of our reviewers, we wouldn't be able to write without you all. Read and review, but don't flame. Flames aren't fun.

Chapter Forty-NineDetour to Destiny

Shelly POV

"Hi, Shelly," Shawn said.

"What do you want, Shawn?" I said. Normally I'm not rude, but I had been through quite a bit the last few days.

"I only want to talk. We need to settle things between us."

"Fine, Shawn. Ten minutes," I said, allowing him to pull me toward one of the bluffs. As we walked, I realized it was the bluff I had pushed Legolas off of when we'd been here.

"Shelly, I have to tell you. That night I had one too many drinks and she..."

"Shawn, just skip the details. Why do you care what I think? We're over. Aren't you be happy that the two of you can be together now?"

"I never really cared about her. Ever since we broke up, you've been all I could think about," Shawn said, quietly, with tears in his eyes.

"I was like that at first, too..." I started, but Shawn interrupted me.

"Well, I know I'll have to win back your trust, but would you consider getting back together with me?" he said, quickly.

_Get back together with Shawn? _My mind was in shock. This was exactly what I'd wanted, before I met Legolas. Once I was able to form a sentence, I said, "I don't think so, Shawn. If you'd asked me two weeks ago, I would've jumped at the chance. But now I've fallen in love with someone else."

"But you said you loved me. Plus, I love you," Shawn said, suddenly, taking me into his arms and kissing me. I felt nothing. No fireworks, no passion, nothing.

I pulled away. "Shawn, did you feel anything when you kissed me just now?" I asked. "Because I didn't. When we were together, I only thought I loved you because I didn't understand love. Now, I do. I can't ever date you again. My heart is taken," I explained. "I'm sorry, though. You always were a good friend." I gave him a hug while he just stood there in shock. "Good bye Shawn." I said and turned to find the others so we could leave.

I found Sarah and Mike by the river and we headed to the car, looking for Cody. Anne and he were at his car, grinning from ear to ear.

"You two knew he'd be here, didn't you?" I said.

"Yep, we knew you'd never see him intentionally, and you needed to resolve everything," Anne said.

I was in shock. Anne and Cody hate each other, but they had worked together for me. "Aww, thanks guys," I said, hugging the two of them. "I'm ready to leave now."

When I hugged Anne goodbye, she held me tightly and said the strangest thing. "I'm gonna miss ya, Shelly. Thanks for being such a great friend."

Somehow, I felt like she was saying goodbye forever. "You too, Anne." I hugged her again and got in the car.

"Shelly, I hope you aren't mad at me for making you come," Cody said, as we pulled away from the river. "But I knew you needed to resolve this before I told you." I looked at him and then back at Mike. Mike seemed to know what was going on, but Sarah looked confused. "What if I told you that you and Sarah could go to Middle Earth?"

I looked at Cody, shocked. "No, we couldn't. We would mess everything up," I said.

"If anything is going to be messed up, it already is," Mike said. "Now, all you can do is cause pain to yourselves and the guys."

Sarah looked at him like he'd grown another head. "Mike, is that you saying that? You know that if I'm there it would ruin everything for Frodo. He might not succeed in the destruction of the Ring," she said, with tears in her eyes. "Besides, don't you think I've thought about it? It wouldn't work, we aren't meant for their world."

Cody shook his head. "Maybe that's why this happened, because you ARE meant for them and they for you. Maybe it wasn't a detour to their trip, but instead they were sent to their destiny," he said, very deep, especially for him.

"I never thought about it like that," I said. "Maybe we should think about it, Sarah." I turned to look at her and she nodded.

"Wait, wait, wait," Sarah said. "Are you saying that we could go back there where they are and see them again?"

"Not just see them," Mike said. "You could stay. Forever. I mean, surely your guys would marry you and all. And if they didn't Cody and I would stage a smackdown."

I blinked. "Whoa..." Sarah pondered that for a moment. "But the quest"

Mike cut her off. "You'd be able to catch up to them in Lothlórien, and they would know what you'd done"

"But we wouldn't go on the quest," I finished.

"Right," Cody said. "Now, listen, you two know you belong with them. But if you go back, you have to STAY back. You can't go flipping back and forth between two worlds. What kind of marriage would that be? So you should probably think about it for a while."

"Yeah. So...we'll think about it tonight and decide tomorrow." Sarah said, thoughtfully.

After we got home, I tossed and turned all night. I knew without a doubt what I wanted, but would it be what was right? I didn't want to hurt Middle Earth, but I needed him. I knew it meant I'd leave my family and friends, but at the same time, I'd be with the love of my life. I'd have no modern technology, but I'd have Legolas. By morning, I knew what I should do.

As Sarah and I joined the others for breakfast, I noticed that she looked like she hadn't slept much either. Once I was done eating, Sarah and I went to the living room.

"On the count of three. Ready?" I asked. Sarah nodded.

"One," I said.

"Two," she said.

"Three."

"Go back," we said, exactly at the same time.

Sarah looked at me, astonished. Mike and Cody grinned at each otherthey knew all along what we'd pick. Soon Sarah was out the door to go home and pack and say goodbye to everything.

"Cody, do you think I should leave a note for Mom and Dad?" I said, tears springing to my eyes at the thought of my parents and sister.

"Probably," Cody said. Just then, Mike came inside with two duffel bags.

"What's this?" I asked.

"Well, Mike and I are going too. You didn't think we'd let you guys go by yourselves, did you?"

"But what if you can't get back?"

"Don't worry, I've got it all figured out," Mike said, from the doorway. "We'll just make sure everything works out for you and then we'll come back the same way the Fellowship left." He sounded confident enough. Maybe this could work.

"All right, Mike, when are we leaving?"

"As soon as Sarah gets back," Cody and Mike said in unison. Mike continued to explain. "We might have waited a little longer to suggest it to you, but the weather will be PERFECT this afternoon, so we wanted to hurry up instead of waiting as much as a month."

"Then, I better get to packing," I said, heading toward my room. Then, I remembered how Anne had acted the night before. "Cody, did you say something to Anne about us leaving?" I asked, suddenly suspicious.

"Well...I had to get her to help me, so I told her the guys were from England and I was going to take you there after you resolved everything with Shawn. How did that go, by the way?"

"He asked me to get back together with him," I said.

"Why would he do that? He acted like a jerk." Mike said.

"Shut up, Michael. Go wait in the other room," Cody said. Mike reluctantly obeyed Cody and headed out the door. "Go on, Shelly."

"He told me he loved me. Then he kissed me."

"HE WHAT?" Cody yelled. "He told me all he wanted to do was apologize!"

"He did, and I told him that I had fallen in love with someone else. Then, I walked away to find you and leave."

"Well, if that's all that happened, I won't have to kill him when I get back," Cody said, smiling a little.

"Cody, thank you. This means so much to Sarah and I. We owe you a big one. If you ever need anything, you ask and I'll do it," I said.

"Who knows? Maybe I'll need something when we're in Middle Earth. If not, I'll just take your money when we get back." Cody said, and for some reason he was a little teary eyed.

Suddenly, I realized that even though he was going back with us, he'd come back to this world someday. I threw myself into his arms. "Cody, I'll miss you once you're gone," I said. "Sarah will miss you too, but she'll never admit it."

"Maybe I'll stay in Middle Earth. It's not like I have a job or a girlfriend keeping me here." We laughed at that. His love life has been a long-running joke between us. Up until that year, neither of us have had a special person. He'd dated a few girls, but never seriously.

"You better pack, wouldn't want Sarah to get back before you've packed all your stuff." I smiled and headed to my room to pack up what I would take to Middle Earth.

I entered my room and began to put some clothes in a duffel bag. Then, I turned to look at my computer. Suddenly, a quote from "The Wizard of Oz" came to my mind, _I'll miss you most of all._ I grabbed a few books from bookshelf that would be okay and that I would miss too much to leave. I looked through the eighteen years of memories in my room and said a silent goodbye to each and every one. I grabbed a few pictures and hid them in my stuff. I had to have some memory of my family and friends, plus I took all the ones of the Fellowship too. I turned to see what else to pack when my eyes landed on a crown. "Cody!"

"What?" He yelled from the living room.

"Come here!" I called. He came in my room, just as I picked up the crown. "Remind you of anything?" I said, holding it above my head. He laughed. At our high school prom, he and I had gotten King and Queen. It was a huge shock to both of us, but we'd laughed and had a great evening. "I'm gonna take it. Who knows? It may come in handy, plus I'll always have a memory of you," I said, emphasizing the "you" in a disgustingly syrupy voice.

He left my room with a few pictures and things he wanted to keep. I finally had everything packed, and I headed out the door. I stopped and my eyes landed on my CD player and before I could regret it, I grabbed it and shoved it and a few CDs in my bag. So what if my batteries would eventually run out? I would use it very sparingly and it would probably be fine.

I turned and took one last look on the room I'd lived in since I was thirteen. "Goodbye," I said, tears springing to my eyes. I closed the door to one life and prepared to open the one that would lead to my new life.

A/N:Okay, so i hope you like it. REVIEW! I sure hope it works! Who knows maybe it was only a one way thing. I guess you'll have to read the last chapter and find out. Review or I'll send Shawn after you. Thanks for sticking with me throughout all of this. In your review, i'd like to know if you think my writing has improved since this story started or not. Thx. :) (Tons of hugs and kisses to all of you who read.)


	50. Beyond the Circles of This World

DISCLAIMER: We do not own Lord of the Rings. If we did, it the books would have been much, much, much longer, just like everyone wants this to be.

Authoress's Notes:  
SARAH: "We've come to journey's end." Annie Lennox, "Into the West"

But first...REVIEW RESPONSES!

**Laer4572 **By now you know that Mike knew what was going on with Shawn. Mwahahaha. And you should be past your "bummed" phase, lol. Feel better now? Potatoes for batteries? We'll talk to Mike, lol. Can you come? Ehhh...no. Already written. But you'd better start working on bridesmaid dresses.  
**Rie **Yeah, Mike was pretty nice in 48...and yes, that is the test of a true friend. Lol, my IRL "love life" is pretty sucky, too, contrary to what our disclaimers say, I don't REALLY have Frodo tied up and stashed in my closet. (Even if I had him I couldn't put him in my closet. No space, lol, not even if he was Hobbit-sized at the moment.) Yeah...I like happy endings. Of course it'll work well. How could it not? Oh, Mike's sweet, too, he's just not as good at showing it is all. Thanks for reading! Enjoy the last chappie!  
**Luthien Oronar **Oh yeah, Frodo's "threads of an old life" speech hit me doubly hard after we started writing this. And that thing that I said about muting the TV from "It is time, Frodo" to the screen going white - completely true. Of COURSE Shawn is not as interesting as Frodo and Legolas. Duh. Oh, come on, Mike was smart enough to make it work once... Glad you're not depressed any more!  
**The Hobbit Waffle **I made you cry! Squee! But don't look for it to happen again (at least not soon), unless they be tears of joy! Squeamy? Lol. Grey Havens - you know how I feel about them. The movie? The movie is permanently burned onto 50 million DVD's across the world, don't worry, they'll stay the same. Ending of what? The story of the book? _grins evilly _Does it change? Well...don't go flipping through your copy of the books expecting it to be different. But remember we said that Tolkien screwed up a few things anyway. _coughFrodo's34cough _Does the plan work? Honestly, Shelly and I didn't even mean for that to be a point of suspense, we thoguht that was a given. (Though now that I think about it, we never really clarify...) Now stop twitching and read.  
**Legolas's Girl 9 **That makes seven votes against Shawn...and of course we're doing it! What kind of cruel human beings do you take us for?  
**Jousting Elf with a Sabre **Hehehe, Shawn makes little or no difference to ME. I didn't even talk to him. And you should thank him, he woke Shelly up to just how bad she needs Legolas in her life. So it's all good. As for the brownies, they shall be classic DLBE-style brownies! (DLBE be-ith "my" messageboard. I'm a co-admin.) And while I'm on that...I should link that to this so the D2D fans could join it... Oh, gosh, do what I would if I had the opportunity to do it over, and go to public school for your senior year so you can go to prom and all that good stuff. _nods wisely_ You cried, too? Yay! I take that as a compliment. Not all tears are an evil, you know. _norts at the brush story _Lol...no brushes in the dark, indeed... Nearly done with your semester?Last weekwas my spring break! ...Ha! I love your review on 49! Come on, of course you knew it! How could we do anything else? And Shelly thanks you!  
**Kat1280 **Don't fall off the edge of that seat, there! Here's the last chapter! Ahhh...my parents watch Lost with me, and I'm still trying to figure out if that's good or bad. It's bad because my dad drives me insane and won't shut up while it's on (luckily I tape it so I can go watch it again by myself, lol), but it's good because I can discuss all my theories with my mom without explaining a lot. (And she's a Charlie/Claire shipper like me and Shelly! Yay!) Mmm...no, it's pretty much just a last chapter. No epilogue. (An epilogue imples a sense of checking back in after a some time has passed, and that just wouldn't work here...)  
**Shilly **Yay, glad to know I didn't just confuse you more with my answers to your questions. Curls, eh? I have to admit I have a certain weakness for Hobbit curls...or Troy-princely curls...or blacksmith curls. But, Elijah... _long sigh_ Orli or Leggy? Hmm...I'd take Orli, personally, I'm not real big on blondes. Unless, of course, I was granted immortality, then I'd want someone who lasted as long as me. Why DON'T they make more Frodo and Elijah posters? Or better yet, WHY IS IT IMPOSSIBLE TO FIND AN ELIJAH POSTER THAT'S NOT FROM ONE OF HIS MOVIES? I want a pretty picture of JUST HIM, not him and a few costars...ARRRGH. You can find Orli posters like that... (I have one, actually, and Shelly has several. In my defense, mine was a gift, I would not have spent my own money to buy Orli before Elijah. Now, I have one really nice Frodo poster (it's mentioned in the story, lol) and a lot of LotR posters with Frodo on them, but I've accumulated them since, like...let's see... July 2001. (I had movie posters before I saw the movie, lol, I didn't see the first one until it came to DVD. It was nice, though, I was reading the books at the time and I had the poster to help my mental images. Also helped me keep everyone straight when I watched it the first time! Except it took me forever to tell Merry and Pippin apart, hard as that is to imagine now. They weren't labeled on the poster.) Thanks! I'm glad you like my art! Oh, yes, this has been EXTREMELY entertaining to write, when our characters are us we don't have to worry about "But my character would never DO that!" Yeah, I bought silver earrings with green beads JUST to match my brooch. It was almost impossible to find them, took me six months and I had to go to St. Louis. Most of the ones that I saw were GOLD with green beads, or when it was silver, the green was was too light or too blue. FINALLY I luckily ran across them, and it was weird - I left the Claire's, then went back in on an afterthought and specifically looked for them, and, TA-DA! I was happy that day. Oh, gosh, Shawn shouldn't creep you out, he is pretty cute after all...but not so nice, really. Oh well. He's in the past now... Oh yeah, it wouldn't be an easy choice, but really, it comes down to family versus true love...I know what I'd pick. Yup, my chapter and the last one! God bless you, too!  
**frodofreak88 **48 made you cry, too? Yay! Apparently I CAN evoke emotion in people! Thanks!  
**IwishChan **Shelly thanks you!  
**Blackcat69 **You're new! Have you been reading all along or did you get to sit and read it all at once? Yeah. This is the last chapter. Enjoy, and thanks for reading!  
**nilimade **Shelly thanks you, too! You EXPECT a sequel? Hmmm...a wise old man once told me that the people with the fewest expectation have the fewest disappointments...not that that has anything to do with anything...  
**Siriusly Sirius Lily Black **Wow, offhand guess...you're a Harry Potter fan? Lol. Three days? Wow! Thanks! And you cried all over your textbook to boot! (Hope you finished your homework okay in spite of that...) THANKS! Hope you enjoy the last chapter!  
**Primevera Took **Shelly thanks you! And I thank you for liking the whole thing! Thanks for reading!  
**Neeriati **Okay...if you told your parents that you were leaving forever to go be with a guy out of a book who's sworn his eternal love to you, and you're leaving simply by running across a field at a certain time, would they even let you out in the yard to prove it to them? Yeah. We're leaving notes for them. Plus the idea is to catch the Fellowshipin Lothlórien, if we waited for Shelly's parents to return, we'd very likely miss them entirely. As for when in Middle-Earth they'll show up - remember they've only been separated about two or three days. As for what to read when this is done - keep us on your author alert. We're working on something else, see the notes at the end of the chapter.  
**Jedi Knight Bus **Shelly thanks you! And of course you knew it. How could this fic end any way but happily?  
**Carrie **Are you really only up to chapter 24? 'Cause that's where your review was!  
**me **Whoever you are, lol, are you only to 24 as well?

Chapter Fifty - Beyond the Circles of This World  
Sarah POV

I sat waiting in the convertible while Shelly got things settled with Shawn. Shelly said goodbye to her friend and we headed for home.

It turned out that Cody and Anne had plotted for Shelly to see Shawn.

"I knew you needed to resolve this before I told you," Cody said.

I looked over at him, my interest piqued.

"What if I told you that you and Sarah could go to Middle Earth?"

This, of course, brought on a debate. Shelly and I could hardly believe what the guys were suggesting to us, but at last we agreed to consider it overnight and announce our decision in the morning.

As soon as we got home, we all went to bed.

I slept in the waterbed, alone. Or at least, I laid down on it. I was thinking too much to sleep. I was wrapped in the blanket that still smelled of Frodo - sort of, it was starting to smell more like me - and tried to figure out how to make a decision that was really a good decision. Though my initial reaction was "Let's pack!" I wanted to be absolutely sure - there really would be no going back.

First I tried to imagine how my life would be if I stayed.

I would start college that fall, and spend seven years in college in order to obtain a Master's degree in library science. If I was lucky I'd do some traveling over the summers, finally see Europe and Japan and New Zealand. After college, with any luck, a job at a public library. A big library. I would spend my time working my way up to head librarian.

I thought of my parents. For some reason, I had always imagined them playing a smaller and smaller part in my life as I got older. Maybe that was as it should be.

I thought of my siblings and nieces and nephews - I was the youngest and all my siblings were in their thirties. My one brother and sister-in-law wouldn't be much of a loss, I didn't know them that well anyway. The other sisters, however...that was different. My niece and twin nephews had been the light of my life as I'd been single, and I was looking forward to seeing them grow up. I had often imagined them as teenagers and always smiled at the thought of being the hip young relative to them, much like my sister had been to me.

But if I stayed, I would always wonder what might have been. I would spend my life being the smart, quiet one in the corner. I was always a wallflower at family gatherings, and even if I did make head librarian somewhere I would never fit in with my family. All my cousins were the get-married-in-or-right-after-college kind, they all had kids, they were all into the American Dream kind of life. Me, I wanted to be something else. And, I knew as I got progressively older and never married, they would write me off like my single sister as a black sheep who, apparently, was some kind of freak for not wanting to be like them.

I sighed deeply. That burned, Frodo or no.

After that rather bleak prediction, I thought of what might happen in Middle-earth. I'd see Frodo in Lothlórien, and that right there meant quite a lot to me. Then, the time of the Quest was up in the air, but after that, we would find each other again. I got a mental image of Frodo and I being at opposite ends of a field and running into each other's arms like all those old cheesy movies, and I smiled.

I imagined that since Frodo was an honorable Hobbit and all, we would get married like Cody and Mike said, and he'd take me to live in Bag End. Sarah Baggins had a nice sound to it.

I wondered if he would still want to sail over the ocean to Valinor. If he did, well, I would either have to go or stay. I'd go if they'd let me. If they wouldn't...would he really want to go knowing he couldn't take me and I couldn't come later on? Maybe not.

If he didn't, then we would have a long, happy life together.

I went back and forth between the two scenarios.

I knew that if I stayed I would always wonder. As Arwen told Elrond in Return of the King, "If I leave him now, I will regret it forever." But I might regret not staying with him, too.

I'd miss out on seeing the kids grow up - but that would hurt me more than them, they were all still little and they'd barely understand. And it would hurt, but it would fade.

I turned my thoughts back to Middle-Earth. I reminded myself that there was no indoor plumbing or air conditioning, and the music wasn't quite up to par. But, I reasoned, a person can adjust to anything, and since the house was underground it probably stayed pretty cool, and as for music - well, I could sing. Sam had said so.

I remembered then that I never had sung for Frodo (though I'd meant to) and a pang of pain hit me.

As I kept going back and forth, it suddenly came to my attention that whenever I thought of staying, I agonized over it, but whenever I thought of going back and seeing Frodo again, staying with him for always, I smiled, and not just a sad, soft smile. An honest smile. When I thought of my future here, I kept getting frustrated.

And, suddenly, even though it had probably only been about an hour, my choice was made. It was perfectly obvious.

I breathed in deep of the blanket, sighed softly, and went to sleep.

I dreamt again.

Very pleasant dreams.

The next morning, after breakfast, Shelly took me in the living room.

"On the count of three. Ready? One," I said.

"Two."

"Three."

"Go back," we said in unison.

At first I was shocked, then happy, then both. I squealed and hugged Shelly.

"I gotta run home," I said. "I wanna pack. I guess we should take what, just whatever we can carry, right?"

Shelly nodded. "Right. You go home and hurry back."

I was soon on my way. The drive went quickly because my mind was spinning crazily in fifteen million directions, playing out my new life - my life with Frodo.

Dad was at work when I got home, but that made it easier - I only had to deal with my mom. I immediately dumped all my clothes in the laundry, using that as my excuse to be home, did a load, and started packing.

I dug through my closet, packing the few shirts (five or so) that might still be appropriate in Middle-Earth. I debated on shoes, and decided just to wear my black hiking boots. I could get other shoes once I got there, and I figured in the meantime I needed shoes that were good for walking. Of course no one there would have seen shoes like them, but they wouldn't exactly immediately suspect that we'd come from the distant future. Who would? The one thing I wasn't sure about was underwear, but I packed all of mine and I figured I'd worry about switching to the Middle-Earth standard when I was actually IN Middle-Earth.

I packed my art supplies, wondering what the equivalent was in Middle-Earth. Obviously there were paintings, so I would be able to continue being an artist in some capacity, but I wasn't sure if there would be a substitute for colored pencils or not.

I wondered about photographs, and at last decided that if I took any I could keep them hidden until I painted or drew the people. After that I could keep the drawing and burn the photos. I definitely packed the pictures I'd last taken, but I still got on my computer and printed off a few of the best LotR pictures.

Afraid of forgetting lyrics, I took the lyrics books out of my CDs and wrote down other songs I remembered. I packed plenty of paper, both for drawing and writing things down. I had a feeling I'd be writing down a LOT. I was going to start keeping a diary for sure.

I wasn't sure what to do about my books. I would miss them terribly, but there would be others in Middle-Earth. At last I resigned myself to printing off the list of titles I kept on the computer as a way of remembering what I had read and not taking a single one.

Then, suddenly, I realized that it might come in handy to have my LotR books, with the timeline laid out and everything, so I packed all the Tolkien I owned - which is ten of his books.

I packed a few small knickknacks, things given me by friends that I could get away with owning in Middle-Earth. I packed some of my jewelry, but again, only things that I thought would blend in back in Middle-Earth. I thought long and hard about taking my Elven Brooch and at last decided to bring it along.

In a brilliant flash of inspiration I packed my scissors. You never know.

After that, I couldn't think of anything else that I could conceivably explain away in Middle-Earth, not even a blanket, as mine were all made from fabrics that did not exist back then.

With my packing finished, I sat for a moment taking it in. I was really going. I was really doing it.

I got up and laid on my bed for a moment, realizing that it was the last time I'd ever lay on my own bed. After all the times I'd slept in Frodo's arms, that seemed like a good thing to me.

When I left, Mom acted like it was no big deal, because she thought I'd be back in several days, and I didn't say anything to arouse her suspicion. I wondered if I ought to leave a note, but figured it would be best to leave it at Shelly's place so it would be longer before it was found.

I didn't cry as I drove back to Shelly's. Don't get me wrong, I care about my family, but I knew that ultimately I did not fit in with them and I never would have. I would remember them fondly but my destiny was in Middle-Earth now.

In Middle-Earth, where the horizons were so far away.

Shelly ran out and hugged me when I got there. "We're going right now!"

"Right now?" I asked excitedly. "Let's go. Let's do it!" I carried my bag in and set it on the table next to three others. "Um, Shell? Are you really gonna take three bags? 'Cause I don't want to carry two."

"Those aren't Shelly's," Cody said, walking into the living room. "We're going with."

I looked at Shelly.

"They're not staying," she said. "They just want to see us get settled down, stay with us while the Fellowship finishes up their business. After that they can come back here."

"And explain where we've run off to?" I asked.

"Why not?" Mike asked.

I shrugged. It would be easier than me and Shelly trying to go it alone.

"I've been wondering what it was like for the Fellowship," Mike admitted. "I mean, I know they got there, but I've never been in a space-time hole..."

Shelly held up her hands. "We'll see. Spare us the details."

"Hey guys," I said. "Before we go I oughta write a few notes." Shelly had left a note on the table clearly labeled "MOM AND DAD."

"Go ahead," Cody said. "The weather will hold."

"It'll be ideal in about an hour," Mike said. "Can you do that?"

I nodded.

"I told my parents that we met some foreign guys and we're going back to their country to marry them," Shelly explained. "And that Mike and Cody are going to make sure we stay safe and get settled in and they'll be back in a few days."

Mike started to explain. "We'll probably stay with you more like a few months, but it'll only be a few days with the space-time - "

"I get it already!" I said, laughing. "No more science!"

Mike just rolled his eyes as I headed outside. I meandered back up to the tabernacle and sat on me and Frodo's bench.

I wasn't sure what to write and finally settled on repeating Shelly's story, and adding my own explanations. "So by the time you read this, I'll have eloped. I'm sorry it worked out this way, I'm sorry it came down to him or my family, but it did and I tried to make the decision that would be best in the long run. I will be very happy and well taken-care-of, and loved. I think that if things had worked differently and you could have met him, you would understand why I'm doing this." That was completely true. "Tell Brandy that I'll miss her forever, but that I finally found what she found and was willing to make the same sacrifices she was willing to make in order to keep it." My best friend had met and married her true love, but had had to move away in order to be with him. "Tell Jake that I've truly moved on and all I want for him is to be at least a quarter as happy as I am." Jake was the one who had once broken my heart that I had told Frodo about. I wondered, now, if it really ever would have worked out between me and him when Frodo was clearly The One. I smiled at the thought and finished writing.

I went back to the house and Shelly and I compared what we'd packed. We'd had pretty much the same ideas - she had her copy of Tolkien's books, too. At first we considered leaving one set behind, but then realized that if everything went according to plan, we wouldn't likely be living together and we'd each want our own copy.

A few minutes later we were standing outside and waiting on Mike to tell us to go.

"You think I oughta lock up the house?" Shelly asked.

Mike shrugged. "Probably."

She ran and did that, and left her keys. I'd left my keyring by my note and locked my van up. She was back quickly and we were waiting on Mike's signal when suddenly I thought of something. "We're dressed all funky for back then!" I cried. "I packed shirts that'll be okay but I completely forgot about what I'm wearing now!" I surveyed Cody and Mike, both in jeans and plain button-front shirts. Shelly and I were in jeans, but she was in a thin sweater and I was in a long-sleeved t-shirt.

Cody sighed. "Even if we all had perfectly accurate clothes, we don't have time to change."

"But women don't wear pants!" Shelly pointed out.

Mike sighed. "If anyone freaks out over it we'll say that we only dress like this to travel. I imagine that you'll get plenty of dresses in Lothlorien if you say you don't have any."

I sighed. Galadriel did seem to like order, and she didn't have qualms about doling out presents to travellers. "All right," I said. "Let's go."

We stood, again waiting on Mike's signal. When he cried "Follow me!" we did as we were told, racing towards nothing - and yet towards everything.

Suddenly I had the sensation of everything going blank. It wasn't a bright flash of light so much as the world disappeared and I was in an empty white chamber. Then, suddenly, it all just faded away.

THE END

A/N: ItIS the end! Did it work, you ask? I didn't realize until now that it is kind of ambiguous on that point, but let me clarify: It DID work. They made it. I find it kind of funny that Shelly and I just assumed it worked and then all you readers were freaking out, making it into this cliffhanger. Lol...

Since it seems no one took the hint and read my RenaissanceGrrl stuff...probably 95 of my stuff over there mentions in my notes at the end that I am an Advocate of the Happy Ending. See. That was a big-time hint, lol. (But don't worry. Other than "Lalaith," Shelly doesn't read it, either...)

For all those who asked about a sequel: There will NOT be a "Detour to Destiny 2." HOWEVER, Shelly and I have another fic all finished that will start going up in about a week. The updates will come about as fast as these did even though it's all finishedour system will be the same, put up the updates of the finished one as wework on the numerically corresponding chapters ofthe new one. This new fic is along the same lines, though there's a new set of twists, and I am giving you a 100 money-back guarantee that you will be every bit as addicted to it as you are (or were, rather) to this. (Of course, you're not paying to read it...but whatever. I pinky-swear you'll like it!) We have a lot of ideas and we want to write them all, so it seems that we're going to keep on collaborating for pretty much forever, lol. It's going to be a VERY long time before anyone has to go through "Taurnlaide and Tarien withdrawal," lol.


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